For Want of a Grape
by EternallyLostAuthor
Summary: When one looks back on their life and only sees mistakes and missed opportunities... What if they had a chance to do it over again? An older, wiser Mineta finds himself back at the start of his hero's journey with new resolve and old problems to overcome. Will he change his future or is this world even the same as the one he remembers?
1. Mineta Minoru: Retcon

"Tonight's story we cover the Freshly picked hero Grape Juice. A divisive member of the 'golden generation' of heroes. Follow his rise during the turbulent years after the first age of peace to his downfall among law suits and his own devious vices. Tonight on Behind the cape."

"Oi, isn't this suppose to be a bar? Put some sports on or something..." an older man toward the far corner of the bar grumbled. "No one wants to watch anything about that loser."

"All right, hold your horses." The bartender, a heavy built man bald man, sighed softly. It was long past happy hour, most of the regulars had left by now. So he could usually put on whatever he wanted. It wasn't a big deal, it was a rerun after all. "Quirkball okay with you?" he offered with a forced smile.

"Sure whatever," the man grunted going back to focusing on his drink. Face obscured by a hooded Deku jacket. The Bartender shook his head and stifled a sigh. He could already tell this one was going to be trouble come closing time. But despite that no trouble arose... The night wound on, people trickled in and out. The man in the corner ordered more drinks but never reached a point he became a bother. He seemed to be in his own world, but ultimately harmless. The bell on the door jingled catching the bartender's attention.

"Welcome, we're nearly at last call for the night but-"

"Drinks won't be necessary Sato-san," The bartender tensed recognizing the two men. One tall and serious, dark blue skin. He was sharply dressed in suit with sunglasses on despite the time of day. His partner couldn't be any more opposite. Seemingly friendly but radiating a dangerous aura. His suit was open, hair wild and unkempt. Steeling himself the owner placed his hands on the counter and looked both men in the eyes.

"I think I made my stance pretty clear." His said firmly, stifling any visible weaknesses the two thugs could draw from... His quirk maybe something as mundane as creating seltzer water but that didn't mean he couldn't handle himself. Baring any offensive quirks of course. The wild one leaned on the bar flashing a grin of sharp looking teeth.

"Boss Rodan is going to be very disappointed to hear that." he said easily, almost happy to hear the refusal.

"I ran this bar for years without Rodan's 'assistance' and it will still be here after he's moved on."

"Indeed, this establishment has been a pillar of the community." Glasses said coldly, "It was after all why the boss has been so generous with his extension." he reached up adjusting his glasses. "Generosity does have it's limits Kaito Sato." his tone didn't change but the threat lingered in the following silence, many of the remaining patrons had sensed the atmosphere shift and had snuck out of the bar without making eye contact. Soon it was only Sato and Rodan's thugs remaining in the bar. Not a hero in sight...

"Call it what you want, but we all know it's an empty threat." The tension broke as the hooded man spoke up, having never left his corner. "He talks a big game but Rodan is small time. He knows if he made any real moves he'd attract Pros..." he paused to finish his drink. "Far be it for him to risk fighting someone who can actually fight back."

"Oi, that's some pretty big words for a little man," The wild thug snarled as he stalked across the room.

"Ignore him, he's just a drunk." Glasses said but his partner brushed him off.

"Respect is important, Might as well teach this little bastard what it means." He tried to sound reasonable but his eyes and grin promised something far more violent. The Hooded man pushed the empty glass forward, not even turning to his potential attacker.

"Respect huh?" he sounded bemused, cocky even. How much of that was the alcohol would be anyone's guess. "Respect is earned. You start something and you'll be the one bowing in forgiveness."

"Oh ho, the Deku fanboy wants to play hero huh." there was the audible click as large claws from on the man's fingertips. "Guess I'll have to play villain!" he sped up charging the final few feet but was stopped by a squish, He stumbled as his left foot stuck to the floor. " What the fu-" he was cut off by hard elbow to the sternum, in a blink the man had jumped from his chair and closed the distance.

"Tenma!" The glasses thug shouted, his partner coughed trying to catch his breath. The hooded man hit him on his knees. He hardly felt it but he reflexively fell forward through expertly applied pressure. He caught himself on the table, claws digging into the wood. "You son of a bitch." he growled lashing out with his free hand only catching the edge of the jacket. In that same span the man had closed space once more and jammed his elbow into his face. his nose crack and blood dripped over his lip. In the blur of pain he felt something soft stick to his forehead, but didn't have any time to think about what it might be.

"Now Bow." his diminutive opponent whispered before roughly slamming his face into the floor where it stayed. The hooded man pocketed his hands and started walking toward the other thug, who unconsciously took a step back. Kaito's eyes widened, noting the strange purple balls that held the clawed thug to the ground. It couldn't be but what other person had a quirk like that?

"You're..."

"Dead is what he is." The Blue man said coldly

"Don't let the bastard touch you."

"I didn't intend to." His replied reaching up for his glasses but was stopped by a barrage of purple balls. He moved his arms to guard anything vital but they hit with little force, merely sticking to his suit and arms, several other missed above and below. The mans hood was down as he pulled another handful of balls from the top of his head which seemed to grow back almost instantly. "The hell is this shit?" he muttered reaching for his glasses once more only to see his target was sprinting his way. The thug pushed his glass up, eyes glowing an eerie red but was quickly blinded by a pair of balls. He hissed in pain, reflexively reached up to pull them free only to stick his hands.

"You've clearly got some kind of eye quirk. Pardon me for not really wanting to take any chances" At that point the fight was already over, it was more of a flourish that pinned the large man face first to the floor incapacitated. "And that's two, I may be rusty but I still got it."

"You're actually him aren't you?" Kaito finally found his words. "You're Grape Juice."

Grape Juice hadn't been relevant for years. Not since the trials at least. The Purple Summer as many called it, every news outlet covering the messy fallout with the Pro Hero Creati, a backbone of the hero community. More cases popping up tracing all they way back to high school. More Heroes and Civilians stepping forward with stories of harassment by the day... When the final verdict fell so did the hero, out of the spotlight and into obscurity. The diminutive man lost his cocky smirk, giving a soft sigh.

"No... Just Mineta Minoru." he managed a tired smile. There was no pride in that voice, just a simple statement of fact. He fished for his wallet and Kaito raises a hand.

"Drinks are on the House Mineta-san." He bows toward the former hero. "It's the least I can do." The man's tired smile becomes slightly more genuine pocketing his hands.

"Thanks man,"

"This isn't the end you little freak!" The Clawed thug growled from the other side of the room. "Rodan will hear about this, you're dead grape boy. Dead!"

"Yeah yeah whatever." the man waved off the threat not even giving the thug a look. "You should probably call the cops, I'm pretty tipsy so I'm not sure how long those will hold but you've at least got a few hours." he headed for the door. "I'm not really in the mood for any lectures on quirk usage, if I'm in trouble they'll know where to find me."

"Thank you!" the former pro stopped for just a moment before acknowledging it with a nod and walking away...

Minoru continued off into the night, hood up once more. He remained fairly steady despite his drinks, barring the occasional misstep. He played back the bar fight in his head. It was sloppy, especially toward the end but it had felt nice to let loose on someone who had it comin'. Rodan and his thugs had started making moves on the neighborhood about a month ago, the lack of pro patrol and aging community making it seem like easy picking for the up and comer. His crew mostly made up of meat-head toughs were only really good for intimidation and safety rackets. It wasn't any of his business... he'd lost his license years back during the trials...but old habits died hard.

"It was the only thing I could do." He'd kept tabs on their actions, who they were targeting. The Bar had been a calculated risk... a place he could set up incidental conflict. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but he hadn't broken any laws... It would likely get a small run on the local news, another small discussion of fallen heroes. It would get spun in a way to make him look worse... but it was fine. He knew the drill by now.

 _'Thank you!'_

"As long as Izuku hears about the gang activity, I don't care." A small smile twitched onto his lips. "But getting some free drinks out of it doesn't hurt." he chuckled to himself.

It wasn't a long walk back to his apartment. Three flights up, eight doors down. The lock stuck a bit but a practiced jiggle it clicked open and he was home. It was small, cheap and didn't ask a lot of questions. Just the way he liked it. He shed is jacket tossing it lazily onto the couch as he passed by. A trail of clothes lead the way to the bathroom, a hot shower trying to wash away results of his exertion and faint stench of alcohol. He stood, eyes closed, in the pouring water trying to wash it all away.

 _'Follow his rise during the turbulent years after the first age of peace to his downfall among law suits and his own devious vices'_

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and went back to cleaning, the relaxation ruined by reality. The shower eased back into a steady drip as he stepped out and started to dry, carefully drying around the edges of his hair so not to lose another towel to his quirk, He caught a glance of himself in the bathroom mirror, lightly tracing the purple and white stubble on his chin before deeming it not worth the effort.

Changing into a t-shirt and sweats he flops onto the couch before lazily channel surfing. At this time of night it came down to news, talk shows or sitcoms... valuing his remaining brain cells he left it to news or talk shows. Skimming through the remaining options he stopped on on a flash of pink. Ashido Mina was seated in the guest chair animatedly telling a story as the host chuckled along with her. Her dress was bright and a bit flirty, hugging her mature curves and just the right ways as she no doubt intended... though perhaps a bit suggestive for a married woman it was just how she was. Her rather dangerous quirk had always held her back in the rankings but her friendly accepting persona counterbalanced it nicely.

To her right was Yayarozu Momo, giggling demurely at her friends antics chiming in occasionally to keep the topic from trailing too far. Her outfit was much more formal and restrained but it added to her aura of sophistication. The two former classmates, among others, having apparently merged agencies. Much of the segment reminiscing about days gone by. He couldn't help but smile slightly along with the pair on screen.

 _'This is low, even for you Mineta.'_  
 _'You haven't changed at all have you...'_

His smile twitched and slowly vanished, his mood soured and he shifted away to the news. Barely paying attention as the anchor droned on about the big stories of the day. He padded over to the door picking up the mail for the and sorting through it. Junk, bill, bill, junk junk, letter, jun-. wait. He went back to the small hand written envelope.

"An invitation?" He mused with a frown, tearing the seal and flipping the card open. "Reunion... has it really been that long?" he muttered, his eyes glancing off the invitation to an old group photo hanging crookedly on the wall. The Graduation party. Nothing but smiles and optimism with the lightest flush of alcohol... 25 years was a long time since then. He looked back to the invitation and slowly closed it tossing it onto the junk pile. "I'll spare everyone the awkwardness." he muttered to himself. Izuku might be disappointed, Maybe Tsu or Denki... but that was about it. Suddenly he felt a lot more tired.

Turning off the tv he headed for the bedroom, ignoring the dull ache in his chest. He flopped limply onto his bed, not even bothering to cover up. The dull buzz swirled with pity and is what he got, he only had himself to blame... maybe it was the alcohol but he could feel his eyes misting up, the sparse bedroom becoming blurry. He closed his eyes, the tears sneaking out and down his cheek. Sleep creeping in on the edges of his perception...

 _If he could do it all again..._

A steady digital beeping broke through his slumber, he blearily pawed toward the nightstand until he found the offending alarm shutting it down... it was only as consciousness started to ease it's way into his mind that he realized, he didn't have an alarm. This thought jump started the rest of his brain forcing him awake, he opened his eyes only to be greeted by a loving depiction of Mt. Lady's ass. He stared stupidly at the poster looming over his bed trying to rationalize the sight. He turned his attention away to scan the rest of the room. Posters and figurines of Midnight, a desk piled with textbooks, a small backpack leaning against it. Nostalgia hit hard but it warred with the sense of wrongness that had lingered since he touched the alarm.

"What the hell?" his whispered query lead him to clear his throat, "Why does my voice sound so weird?" a little higher, little squeakier... A crazy thought passed his mind, too insane to consider but it seemed too plausible. He threw off his covers and hopped out of bed ignoring the skewed proportions and heading over the a familiar closet. pulled the door open to reveal a mirror. His heart jumped to his throat and he reached out to touch the glass. "No fucking way..." his whispered unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. A teen version of himself stared back with haunted eyes. "Th-This is some kind of dream,"

"Minoru, are you up?"

"M-Mom?" His breath caught, tearing his eyes away from his reflection. "I'll be out in a sec!" he called in reflex, his voice wavering a little. He took a closer look around the room. He barely remembered his room from when he was a kid, but looking around everything seemed as it should... sometime around middle school into high school before the dorms were built... There were too many details, little things that made this whole delusion harder to dispute. He tried not to think about it as he headed out into the hallway... and he was failing miserably. Knickknacks and photos seemed to follow him where ever he looked. His heart beat picked up as he entered the living room, the surreal feeling of deja vu only heightening further. There she was on the couch, watching the morning news already dressed in her suit and skirt. His mother was a stout woman, always so professional and together... even during the wake.

"There you are Honey, I got called in a little early so I just wanted to at least see you off." She smiled broadly. "Its not often your child tries for UA." her voice held energy and pride. So it was all they way back on that day of all days... like another life away in so many ways

"Thanks Mom," he managed to reply.

"...Minoru sweety, " her smile slowly diminished into a concerned frown. "Why are you crying?" It was only when she'd said that he'd noticed the wetness on his cheeks. He reached up trying to rub it away but they kept coming.

"I-I'm fine I," he tried to calm himself but it only got harder. She got up and embraced him and he gave a shuddered gasp. Words failed him, his breathing grew erratic and he could only hold her back. She shushed him and rocked him until he could finally calm himself down... the warmth of a mother embrace burning away his remaining doubts. This had to be real. If it wasn't his mind was crueler then he ever gave it credit for...

"It's going to be okay honey, you've got this." She must have attributed it to nerves, that was probably for the best.

"I-I know," he managed to reply. "I Just... I just had a really bad dream." he whispered squeezing her tightly. he could feel her smile against his cheek.

"A nightmare, it's been so long since anything like that has gotten to you. It must have been pretty bad."

"It was..." he sniffed trying to collect himself, despite it all a smile grew on his face. "But it's getting better."

* * *

AN: So this was an old idea I had sitting on my computer for several months... I was looking for any Mineta fics and found there really weren't any that gave the character a chance... Now I'm not a Mineta fan by any means, but I do see his good points and wonders if a 'for want of a Nail' type fic could work for him. so we'll just have to see... not sure how often I'll be working on this story compared to others but figured i'd at least throw what have finished out there,

Inspiration props goes to JazitJ on Youtube. he did a series of amv compilation of MHA characters having 'themes' and the one he finally settled on for Mineta 'Weak by AJR' has become the song i put on to write this fic. it's also just a great song so that helps :)


	2. The Retest

_Thoughts & Flashbacks_

((English))

* * *

The train ride had given Minoru time to properly process what was happening. It really came down to three possible scenarios. First was that this was some kind of elaborate lucid dream brought on from booze and guilt. It was only logical, people didn't time travel after all. He wasn't one to give in to fantasy, not anymore... but there were too many details, too many exacts that a dream normally would just gloss over. Unless that was the dream WANTED him to think... That line of though would get him no where...

Second was not much better. This was that he was a teen and all these memories of his rather shitty adult life were the elaborate dream he'd just woken from. Absurd but not impossible to consider. There was likely some kind of serious mental issues that could sum up dreams that vivid that he would doubt the reality so thoroughly. Not that he put it past himself, he had certainly had more then his share of therapist visits over the last decade... unless that was a dream. Ugh...

Last was the most straight forward, but most insane. That this was all exactly what it seemed to be. By some quirk of fate or god's whims he had traveled back in time to the day of his UA entrance exam, memories left intact so he could make some kind of meaningful change to his life. Optimism was something he'd been lacking for a long time, but if this was true... If he really could start over. He wasn't going to waste it.

As gates to UA came closer and closer he came to his decision. He would treat this as real and do his best until this proved otherwise. Putting the existential issues of his situation aside he could start focusing on the important part. How rusty was his middle school knowledge and would he be able to pass the written exam by the seat of his pants with no proper study time? Valid questions. He always had a sharp mind, hopefully he could rely on that. There was another issue that he couldn't help but notice... Everywhere he turned were short pleated skirts of female examees, chill February winds causing them to flutter as the girls chat nervously about the upcoming test. For his short stature it made for quite the view, one he'd been thankful for many a time in his high school days. But the only thought that seemed to cross his mind was-

 _'Nearly all of these girls are 14'_

It was like being dunked in a vat of ice water instantly washing away that pleasant perverted feeling he used to bask in. He shook his head free of images of skirts and panties and focused on the imposing buildings of the UA campus. This was not a time for such thoughts... he chose to ignore a small voice that was insisting **_HE_** was 14 now too so it was okay.

The crowds thinned out a bit once Mineta passed through the gates, the wide entry path to UA giving more room for the examees then the sidewalks. Now in a safer mindset he found himself scanning the crowds for familiar faces... There were a few here and there, a few future pros that would end up going to other schools. No one he was notably familiar with.

"Move aside Deku!" A very familiar voice bellowed, that unmistakable aggression could only have one source.

"Kacchan?!" The reply. It was higher and full of fear... but he knew the voice of his best friend anywhere. Mineta found himself sneaking through the crowd toward where he'd heard it. Almost at the doors there they were. Izuku slouched and watching as Bakugo strode past him to the main exam hall. Mineta tried to rationalize his image of Deku, future 1# Hero known world wide... he was so much shorter for one, not that HE really had any right to comment on someonelse's height. He was shaking and sweating, but the look in his eyes. That determined look. Mineta found himself smiling, he gathered himself and approached. A small part of him warned him against interacting with him, after all they hadn't met yet but he chose ignored it.

"Nervous?" he greeted, Izuku nearly tripping at his surprise. The Boy turned and looked around confused, belatedly looking down and finally seeing him. That growth spurt in year 2 couldn't come fast enough...

"Huh? Um y-yes a little."

"Me too." He offered a hand with a smile. "Mineta Minoru."

"Midoriya Izuku." Slowly the other boy took his hand and shook it, a small smile of his own. His nerves seemed to ease up slightly, he wasn't slouching as much.

"That's a better expression." he said relinquishing the boys hand and giving a thumbs up. "Best of luck to you Midoriya-kun."

"Y-You too." the timid boy managed in reply watching as Minoru made his way into the building. The Warm feeling of seeing his friend, in however small, boosting his own confidence. The test was the first step toward a better future, he could feel it.

* * *

Three hours of straight testing and Minoru was pretty sure he never wasn't to see an answer sheet ever again... Math had always come easy to him, something he often used when calculating his quirk usage. English was another easy section having done some stints of work outside of Japan over the years when working with Izuku. History and Science had been a nightmare though, an extra couple of decades were a long way to go back and remember 'current' information. There was a small part of him worried he may have answer questions in ways that were colored by future events, he'd have no idea to be sure but only another time traveler would know for certain so he was probably safe. Of all things the heroics segment had been a breeze, it was all open ended with situations set up and a portion for the examee to explain how one should handle it. Years of real experience allowed him to give concise answers and insight into the basic situations they were setting up. Overall he was fairly confident he'd passed at least. It was admittedly a step down from acing it as he'd done the first time... he'd just have to make it up in the Practical exam.

That could wait though, they'd been had been given an hour to unwind before being told about the practical exam. His first time through he was so nervous he'd nearly psyched himself out entirely. Already fully aware of what was ahead of him he decided to take a walk instead. He weaved his way through the cramped hallways, always used to being the smallest person in a crowd. The sheer amount of students here for the exam was a sight to see considering only a handful would be making it in. What would happen to most of these students? Where would their stories take them? Was it even fair for him to get a second chance when he has passed the first time but squandered the opportunity it gave him? He shook his head trying to get his mind of that particular train of thoughts and collided with a leg. Off balance he instinctively moved to the side before falling on his butt as the person he'd run into fell forward with a cute _'Oomph'_. He caught an excellent view of strong set of legs leading up to a short skirt, momentarily flipped by her tumble revealing a cute baby blue pan- he immediately turned his head the other direction noting on the other end of those legs was a sturdy pair of Hooves.

"Hooves?" that rang a familiar bell as he got up and circle around front of the girl who had gotten up to her knees. The girl had a round, innocent face with large blue eyes. Her blond hair flowed down her back, a large pair of horns on either side of her head. Minoru knew he'd seen the girl before, she'd been in class B... he hadn't interacted with much before or after graduation... well no time like the present right?. "I'm sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going." he offer her a hand and she blinked in confusion.

"Ah, I'm fine." she said uncertainly taking his hand up and steadying herself on her hooves once more. She was short, still taller then him obviously, but at least his eye line was safely above the hem of her skirt. Despite her height was was build sturdy, enough so he was surprised he'd managed to knock her off balance at all. "I wasn't watching where either." she stumbled a bit of her pronunciation and reddened slightly. "Sorry," Apparently Japanese wasn't her first language

"Well if we're both at fault than no reason to worry about it." he noted offering the girl a smile she returned readily. It was quite the cute image.

"Right!" she agreed cheerfully. "Oh, I am Pon-oop. I mean Tsunotori Pony," she seemed to catch herself quickly offering a small bow.

"Mineta Minoru," he had a feeling he'd be introducing himself a lot, at least this wasn't as awkward as doing so to someone he knew for decades. "So Tsunotori-chan, how were the tests treating you?"

"Er, I think I did well." she giggled placing a hand behind her head nervously. "I can read and write just fine, speaking still bit hard." she admitted stumbling a bit once more as if to prove her point. Considering in his past she'd made the cut she likely had done at least a decent job. "What about you Mineta-kun?"

"Hopefully well enough." He said humbly, "I'm hoping to make a proper impression in the practical exam."

"Yes, a Hero wins through action." she replied excitedly pumping her fist. "Been practicing a lot, though not sure what the test is going to be." she admitted, her excitement draining away to nervously playing her hair. "I just hope it's enough." she muttered softly to herself. The dip of confidence didn't sit well with him.

"Come on Tsunotori-chan, you've come all the way to UA. There's no time for doubt. You gotta give it everything you've got. Plus Ultra." He said firmly a confident smirk on his lips. The horned girl was stuck silent for a moment before she could see her eyes light up once more.

"Right, Plus Ultra." she replied confidently, smile once again on her face. That was much better.

"Well, I need to meet up with someone before the break-times over," it wasn't exactly a lie he did want to see if he could see any other familiar faces before getting corralled again into the main hall. "Good Luck!"

"Mm! Good Luck to you too!" She cheered happily. " and... Thank you." she added a bit softer.

"No problem," he sent the girl one last wave a turned to go. He heard her speak up again but this time in English.

"Mineta-kun... ((He was kinda small... but he was pretty cool))." she was obviously talking to herself but wasn't keeping too quiet since she didn't expect anyone to understand or care to listen. He probably should have left it be, but in the end he couldn't help himself.

"Tsunotori-chan," he called back over is shoulder seeing her turn back his way blinking her wide innocent eyes.

"Yeah?"

"((You're pretty cool yourself))." he offered cheerfully with a cheeky wink enjoying as the girl reddened like tomato. Mischief accomplished he turned and headed out to get some fresh air...

The rest of break passed quietly. he'd seen Denki from a distance, chatting animatedly with a few of his schoolmates. Having no good reason to just walk up to him, he just took solace in that it looked like he was doing well. It was a similar situation with Sero and Mina... Shoji on the other hand was by himself and looked like he didn't want to be bothered. In the end there were just too many students to see everyone, before long the announcement rang out for everyone to return to the main hall. He could feel the excitement growing, a chance to let loose a little and not think about this strange situation he was stumbling through.

In the auditorium seats were assigned by school, whether fortunate or not he had been the only kid from his class trying for UA. Having no other distractions he half-listened to Present Mic's presentation thinking back to how the UA robots operated... he'd fought enough of them back in the day and taken out similar things with his quirk after that point. "Two balls for wheels, four for treads, two to four for walkers depending how you catch them. Avoid the gimmick but that won't show up till later and... there was something else wasn't there? They had a switch somewhere didn't they? Somewhere on back so it wouldn't be obvious." He whispered to himself. "Can't destroy them but Immobilizing counts, There's also points for helping other people. Right." Plan in mind he tuned back in to the end of the presentation. He shook his head as Ida publicly called Izuku out for talking too much... considering how close they were going to be shortly it was almost ironic. After one last muted response to Present mic's enthusiasm it was time to go to... Battleground Gamma. He frowned slightly looking at his ticket. Gamma was the industrial district replica, hadn't he taken his test in one of the city battlegrounds? Maybe he was was mixing it up with one of the later training sessions... he shook his head and pocketed his ticket heading to the male changing rooms for Battleground Gamma.

It was crowded as expected, boisterous banter was exchanged as everyone changed from their school uniforms into something more fit for battle. Minoru had kept his fairly casual, Just a t-shirt, windbreaker and sweats. His sneakers already treated so they wouldn't stick to his balls, back then it had been to avoid an accident but he learned later to use them for maneuverability. Something he'd definitely need for that jungle of pipes and equipment.

"Ey there little man, sure you came to the right place?" A larger boy said with a grin and he loomed over him. "This is a test for high schoolers." Minoru eyed the boy up and down with a bored look... He was tall and muscular, his fists and arms out of proportion for his body. He didn't look like anyone of note, likely never made it past the exam. Curiosity satisfied he stowed his stuff in his locker and stood to go. "Oi, I was talking to you shrimp!"

"I know, I just don't care." He said casually, the changing room grew quiet as he passed a bored look over to the delinquent trying to glare a hole through his back. "You know when they said you needed to build up 'Villian points' they meant defeating villains not being an asshat. This is a HERO exam, act like it." he finished with a steely look that despite his tormentor's size made him step back. It was just like the kind of meat heads working for Rodan...The locker erupted with Oohs and Cheers, the lanky armed student slinking off to another corner of the locker room gritting his teeth. A few of the others patted him on the back as he passed by and he could help but chuckle a little and wave off the excitement.

"Well said," a voice said as he passed out of the locker room, Minoru glanced up to see Tokiyami leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed, gaze intense but bore a slight smile. "Sometimes competition makes people lose sight of their goals."

"Heh, True enough." Minoru smiled a little, watching the bird headed boy try so hard to look nonchalant and cool was nostalgic. Much as he was tempted he didn't try to break the boy's image. "That being said, I'm still going to try my damnedest to get a good score." he admitted with an unabashed grin. That got a brief chuckle from the other boy, before the intense gaze returned.

"Very true."

"Good luck out there."

"And to you." the two parted without exchanging names... it was 'cooler' that way after all.

One by one the students arrived at the large metal doors of Battlefeild Gamma. Some focused on the doors and the challenge behind them while others milled about nervously making small talk with others of a similar disposition. Minoru stretched a little, trying limber up his stubby limbs as best he could... if he was going to make any headway he'd have to break away from the pack but he definitely had a distinct disadvantage when it came to pure physicality. He was down a growth spurt and years of conditioning, he was basically starting from scratch. It was going to come down to tactics and unfortunately the easiest solution of sticking all the other examees in place so he'd have solo access was far too unheroic to fly. He'd just have to wing it and come up with something on the fly.

"Mineta-kun!" His planning was disrupted by the bubbly greeting Pony, waving an exuberant greeting as she trotted over.

"Tsunotori-chan, what a coincidence?" he smiled while his mind raced... he was fairly certain he'd never seen Pony in action on his first time. It was a long time ago but if there was one thing he had kept track on back then was girls and she had a very distinct look to her. Maybe she had been there and he was just overthinking it? It was nearly three decades ago in his warped perception. For now he filed all this strangeness aside to compute later. He had to keep his mind in the present. The foreign student had crouched down in front of him to look him eyes to eye, a cute little pout on her face.

"It wasn't nice to tease earlier." she muttered with a small frown.

"Sorry," he chuckled awkwardly. "I couldn't help myself, the set up was too perfect." she puffed her cheeks out in frustration and he couldn't help but smile in the face of it. "For what it's worth I wasn't lying." he added hopefully watching the pout revert a bit as she glanced away, cheeks slightly rosy.

"...you're forgiven." she said passing one more glance his way before she stood back up to full height. "Both happy and sad we're in fi- er." she paused trying to find the right words.

"You can use English." he offered, "((Just don't go too fast. I'm a little rusty))" he said slowly. His time overseas back in the day with Izuku had been in his final years as a pro, The Las Vegas incident certainly hadn't helped him down the road... placing that particular memory even further out of his mind he brought himself back to the present. Pony sighed dramatically before switching to her native tongue.

"((Okay, but I really need to get better at Japanese))." She relented, now able to speak much smoother and naturally in her home language.

"((One step at a time right?))" He kept his tone supportive

"((I know))..." She clearly wasn't satisfied with her current ability but put it aside for now. "((Anyway, I was tryin' to say I'm glad we're getting to take the test in the same place but a little sad since we're going to be competing))." she ended with a sigh. Apparently she was more of the 'team' type hero then a solo... He could sympathize, his best years as a pro had always come from consistent teamwork.

"True," Unfortunately this was a test... but it wasn't necessarily a competition was it? They purposely set people from the same school to different battlegrounds so they couldn't work together. Did that mean if two people worked together on a robot they both got the points? There were only so many robots. "((Unless that isn't the case))." he started trying to think of the best way to explain it. At the very least it seemed to catch the girl's interest.

"((Really?))" she couched back down eyes shining with curiosity.

"((This is a hero exam, right?))" he paused allowing for her nod of understanding. "((Even solo heroes on patrol work with any other heroes come across in a)) er... Crisis." he finished in Japanese not able to come up with the right word. Fortunately Pony seemed to be following along perfectly fine.

"((Like a big battle with a large group of villains. So if we work together, we'll both get points?))" she sounded hopeful, but at the same time was concerned.

"((That's my theory anyway... as long as we both pull our weight equally I don't see how they could hold it against us))." it was a massive gamble, particularly going so far off how he'd handled things previously. But if it did work it might even impress the observers more and he was certain he had some ground to make up on... "((What do you say?))" he offered a hand. After a moment of thinking she took his hand and gripped it tightly.

"((Let's do it!))" She grinned confidently.

"((In that case we don't have a lot of time to brainstorm so lets exchange quirks and figure out the best way to go about this))." the other examees watched on in confusion as they continued to go back and forth in English, most not being able to follow everything being said. Ultimately they dismissed the pair to focus on their own preparation...

By the time the starting bell rang, their plan was set... and people WERE taking notice.

* * *

 **AN:** So it continues. I'm happy this story was so well received, it made me come back and finish this snippet into a full chapter :). It also got me thinking a lot about what this story was really going to be and well... lets just say this is going to be more interesting then just Mineta being a less shit human being. But that will be a little ways off before that starts to be a the very least his warped perception of time will keep his libido in check as all the girls are 'too young' to be considered in that way to him... for now at least... Yes I am (unfortunately) aware he made a really messed up comment about Eri (of all girls) when he met her in the manga but this is a more mature Mineta so we're going to pretend that line never happened...

In other news Pony is in the story! Having kept up distantly with the current manga arc and seen 'Horn Cannon' in action there was no way I couldn't think to use it. Plus giving her a person to befriend that won't purposely give her rude English phrases to say for their own amusement will be good for her (lookin' at you Monoma).

PS: Stealth edit once I realized I'd been spelling Pony's Family name wrong the whole time 6-_- whoops

Next chapter, the Exam!


	3. Fire Forged Friendship

_Thoughts & Flashbacks_

((English))

* * *

As the exam began the UA Faculty was seated in a room lined with monitors, strategic cameras placed throughout all of the battlegrounds relayed the information in real time for their perusal. Every recording would be thoroughly studied for accurate scores over the next several days but any exceeding examples were always picked out on the first viewing... There was too much going on for one person to see it all so there was constant communication between the Pros noting any examee worth keeping an eye on.

In Battlefield Alpha Kasuki Bakugo was an offensive powerhouse, dispatching the villain robots swiftly and efficiently, his battlefield awareness and mobility were also top notch making for quite the spectacle. Coupled with a capable mind he had quite the makings of a future hero... the only thing worrying some was his excessive aggression, they would need to reign that back or at least channel it properly to avoid any problems developing in the future.

Over in Battlefield Beta The latest member of the Ida family was preforming quite well, his speed and form with obviously practiced and focused. He looked to be a fine successor to the family. Aoyama Yuga was utilizing his limited yet powerful quirk to it's fullest, rapidly repositioning to always keep himself at an advantage. He'd even used his ability to snipe to save a few other examees from a bad spot... whether that was intentional or incidental it was working in his favor...

In Battlefield Delta Itzuka Kendo was making quite the impression. Her Big Hand quirk was more then powerful enough to destroy the bots but her situational awareness had allowed her to protect some of the less focused or prepared examees. A natural protective instinct that could definitely be cultivated to make a great heroine.

Battlefield Gamma though was drawing more then a few eyes from the assembled Pros. There was Tokoyami Fumikage, a force to be reckoned with. His Dark Shadow was strong in offense and defense. He was utilizing the many darkened buildings and overhangs to get favorable fights. If he was more hotblooded he might have been able to keep pace with Katsuki Bakugo's impressive villain total... but the big draw was the true oddity that hadn't popped up for a few exams..

"Looks like we have a team up going on in Gamma." Vlad King announced, clearly bemused.

"Is that so?" Nezu turned his chair to check the monitors. It seemed from moment one of the exam Mineta Minoru and Tsunotori Pony had been working together. It was rough but improving as the exam moved on. The American student Tsunotori had the physicality and stamina of a mutant type quirk but could also fire her horns and have fine control of their destination, not quite enough raw power to stop any of the 2 or 3 pointers without a very precise hit... Mineta on the other hand had a very specialized quirk for immobilizing targets with a strong tactical mind but was lacking the physicality to act on much past setting traps... together though they were covering each other's weaknesses nicely. They quickly discovered the bots hidden off switch and began to find ways to exploit them. As the minutes passed their teamwork grew more solid, attaching Mineta's balls to pony's horns and aiming precise immobilizing sticks on the 2 and 3 pointers giving either one the chance to shut it down. "They're doing quite well."

"Could this be collusion?" Aizawa asked sternly, "Are we certain they don't know each other from outside school?"

"It seems incredibly unlikely. Aside from being in two separate districts Tsunotori-san has only be moved to the country a few months ago." Power Loader noted after a quick background check on his tablet.

"They're also making an effort to keep their point scores close to equal, so ones not using the other to get ahead..." Nezu smirked. "Very interesting. I'll have to have a talk with them later." he clapped his furry hands together. "For now though it's time to make things more interesting. Don't you think?"

"Right, let's see how they react." The support course teacher said pressing the big red button that launched the zero pointers... Chaos erupted across all battlefields.

* * *

Minoru held his ball tightly as he flew through the air, the horn he was stuck to rocketing above the street dodging the clumsy swing of on of the walker's legs. He let go pulling another ball from his scalp and catching onto the back of the walker, quickly reach up to the switch on it's head and powering it down. He'd lost exact count a little ways in but he was somewhere over twenty which at least was beating his original score. It was hard to complain, even as he wiped the blood from his forehead. He was already bleeding, the roll back of physical training also went back to his quirk as well. He was used to having more endurance, probably didn't need to go so overboard with those early traps at the beginning of the exam. He stumbled forward seeing Pony come around from her hiding spot behind a large pipe, she looked happy but was clearly tired herself. It took a lot of concentration for her to control her horns to any precise degree but it was serving them well enough thus far. He offered her a thumbs up. "Another one down."

"Good job," she offered. "I saw a few more villains heading east." her smile dipped a bit giving him a concerned look. "You okay?"

"Just a bit of quirk overuse, I can make it a couple more minutes." he assured her, "We've got a few more villains to catch." he smirked her way getting a nod and smile in return before jogging toward the east part of the battlefield. She quickly caught up and slowed to keep an even pace with his shorter strides. They passed by the main thoroughfare of the battleground where most of the examees were battling each other for bot kills, twisted metal littered the street from destroyed villains. Everyone was giving it their all. So he'd have to keep pushing himself as well. Pushing past the main combat zone they were once again back on the fringes aiming to pick off a few more bots that were heading toward that area. Finding a good choke point he pulled of several more balls ignoring the pain on his scalp, they pulled this tactic twice already so Pony had already split off to pull in a couple of bots. Trap laid he leaned heavily against the wall just out of sight, wiping the blood away once more. He couldn't differentiate the various sounds of quirk on metal as too much was happening all around so focused for a more tell tale sound of Hooves on concrete.

"Got Two coming!" she called out the quick clopping sound being over-shadowed by the sound of wheels and treads... a 1p and a 3P villain. He double checked his placement, it should be enough from both. His quirk was weakened from overuse but it should at least be long enough for them to get in behind them. He peeked out just enough to see her running on all fours with the two bots barreling just after her. She dived across the traps area landing awkwardly on the other side but at least safe. He collected himself and came out from his resting spot to help her up. "You okay?" The 1p was stuck fast as it tried to charge the pair, being much lighter. The 3p grounded to a halt but was slowly pulling itself back, not having been fully caught.

"Yeah, missed landing a little." she chuckled as she go fully back up to her hooves and looking back to the struggling bots.

"Big one is yours, I just got a 2 pointer." Minoru said calmly motioning for her to go. "The 1 pointer's not going anywhere so i just need a moment to catch my breath." he insisted, getting a small nod from her as she slipped through one of the buildings to get behind the trapped bots. There couldn't be much time left, it was clear the amount of bots was lessening. He might as well grab what would likely be his last point. As Pony popped out of the side doors and hopped onto the back of the 3 pointer he gathered himself up and made confident strides toward the robot.

There was a deafening crash and suddenly he was airborne. Unprepared he landed hard, the impact with his head blurring his vision. He distantly heard Pony calling out to him as he dizzily looked around trying to see what happened. A huge metal fist pulled back, the 0 pointer loomed over the rubble it just caused, casting it's massive shadow over the whole block of space. He had to move but his legs refused to listen to him. The massive treads began to drive forward toward the main road of the battlefield, demolishing any buildings in the way. He barely was able to get up onto his knees when he felt some rubble fall around him. This was bad...

"((I don't think so!))" he felt himself get lifted up and suddenly he was moving. He was was being carried? He tried to shake the fog from his head, head injuries were always bad news. He looked around for something to focus on so he wouldn't drift off. Looking around was a bad idea as they were really moving so she focused on the one carrying him, slowly looking up he focused on Pony's face. Her eyes focused dead ahead, her mouth locked in a serious frown. such a good kid...

"Pony..." he muttered drunkenly and she shushed him, she was breathing heavily but didn't slow her pace. She kept running until the screams and crumbing buildings grew more distant behind them. They were almost at the front gate when the final alarm rang. That seemed to trigger her to finally relax, she half collapsed against the outer wall of the battlefield setting him next to her. She took large gasps of air and closed her eyes trying to slow her heart rate.

"Mineta-kun... Okay?" she managed to gasp out after a moment, passing a concern look to him.

"Just a bit banged up, heads still ringing." he muttered trying to focus past the dizziness. He looked to his companion who was covered in nicks and scraps, likely having taken a bit of damage herself from the 0 pointer's entry. Even so she'd managed such a hard fought escape. She was definitely a tough one. "Thanks for the save."

"It's what a hero is suppose to do right?" she offered a bring smile it was hard not to share.

"Well you were definitely my hero back there for sure..." he said with a light chuckle. That likely would have been worth some rescue points no doubt, she'd be in good standing. Ugh, this was hardly the time to be thinking about score. "What the heck was with that giant thing?" he groaned loudly indulging in a bit of whining. "Gimmick my ass."

"That was really scary." Pony muttered tucking her knees up into her chest and resting her head on them. "I nearly froze up. It was all I could do was just run..."

"Some villains are scary," he muttered. "Overwhelmingly strong and scary... Ones you can't beat." he looked up, his mind drifting back. Past foes and pivotal battles. Shigraiki dissolving Kirishima's left arm in a final act of defiance... Giantomacha unleashing his full power, toppling buildings with every wild swing... The Curator's cold gaze as he held an unconscious Tsuyu by her neck with one hand before turning and walking away with her...

"Mineta-kun?" Pony's confused tone brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, zoned out a bit there..." he muttered forcing a smile but it did little to stop her own concerned gaze. "Being a hero is dangerous. But even so a hero has to stand up to protect others..."

"Yeah," she turned her gaze forward hugging her knees tighter. "Even against the scary ones."

"Even against the scary ones..." he agreed. The two fell into silence, both too tired to chat any further.

"Ah, two more hiding off to the side I see." an aged female voice chirped bemused, the two teens turned see a tiny old woman with an oversized syringe for a cane. The youthful heroine, Recovery girl. "Lets get you both fixed up."

"Huh?" Pony cocked her head to the side puzzled as the old woman tottered over and gave Minoru a kiss on the forehead. The wave of exhaustion increased but his vision cleared and his head stopped pounding. He gave a relieved sigh leaning further back against the wall.

"That is so much better..." he muttered, feeling a few gummies get placed in his palm before she tottered over to Pony and jump-started her healing.

"Oh?!" she looked over all the missing scraped and cuts with wonder. "I'm all better!" Despite the healing she still seemed like a bundle of energy, he really needed to get his stamina back up...

"Well that's a nurses job deary," Recovery girl said with a rough chuckle, she gave pony a few gummies to see her on her way. She paused looking back over her shoulder. "By the way Principal Nezu wanted to see you both before you left for the day. He'll be waiting in the exam room for you once you've changed. Don't keep him waiting too long." Both teens tensed up and exchanged a worried look. Suddenly a few gummy bears weren't quite enough to raise their spirits...

The school grounds were slowly emptying as Mineta returned from cleaning up and changing back his uniform. It had been a slow walk back, still recovering from the tough toll the exam and Recovery girl's healing had on his body. It gave even more time for his mind to race over the current situation. He had known the risk associated with his plan, but he hadn't expected to be pulled aside right after it was over. Score was individual but there was no rule given for teaming up... If he screwed up he could still become a hero, this was his second chance he'd make the best of it no matter where he had to go. This wasn't just about him though, Pony was also at risk... she who would have passed just fine on her own had gone along with his crazy scheme. If she lost her chance he wouldn't be able to forgive himself...

"Mineta-kun" Pony's voice broke his musing and he looked up to see the American waving from the entrance of the exam building. She was back into her school uniform, she was still smiling despite the situation. He offered a small wave in return as he approached. They were silent for a moment, neither one wanting to open the doors.

"...I'm sorry, If we're in tr-" he started but she shushed him.

"It's going to be okay," she said brightly, her wide blue eye projecting nothing but confidence. It looks like it was his turn to get motivated... he smiled lightly and shook his head.

"You're right, it's no use worrying until we hear what the principal has to say..."

"Exactly!" she nodded firmly she offered the boy a closed fist. "So lets go." he chuckled and bumped his own fist against the girl's.

"Yeah, let's go." spirit a lot lighter he walked forward and opened the door, the taller girl a step behind him. The hallways was completely empty, the sounds of footsteps and hooves echoing lightly as they made their way to the exam room. Sharing a nod they each opened one of the doors and walked in together.

"Please, do come in." A voice Minoru hadn't heard in sometime, the ever polite voice of the UA Principal. He sat at the front of the room, a small smile on his face. The Strange animal-like being dressed in a dapper suit.

"Wha?" Pony was clearly not prepared for Nezu's appearance, as most weren't the first time they saw him. "That's Principal?"

"That's right. It's me, Nezu, the one who could be a dog or a mouse or a bear, but more importantly... I'm the principal!" He hopped up and began walking toward the pair, arms wide in a grand gesture of showmanship. Minoru had to repress his amused grin as he caught his companions dumbfounded look out of the corner of his eyes Turning his gaze to the principal he noticed the flicker of something in the enlightened animal's eyes but before he could question it at all he was speaking again. "You two were causing quite the stir in observation booth today." he spoke in a much calmer tone, arms clasp behind his back. "Teaming up in the in an exam such as this, I'm certainly curious why you think this would be approved of?" his words didn't belay disappointment or praise.

"It wasn't against rules." Pony argued sounding a little worried at the principal's tone.

"Tsunotori-san, we hold those trying to get into our illustrious academia to a very high standard," he said simply shaking his head. "They should take this exam seriously as they would an actually battle with villains." he set a firm gaze on both potential students. "Those are the kind of Students we want at our school." Pony was looking down biting her lip, Minoru felt his stomach drop. Had he read too far into things? Had he already messed things up so quickly? He had to at least salvage this for Pony's sake.

"Principal Nezu It was all m-" he paused and frowned. Something wasn't lining up... Nezu turned his gaze solely on to him, exuding a pressure of authority he hadn't felt in some time.

"Yes Mineta-san?" He was cool and in full control.

"Wait," Minoru steadied himself and met the Principal's gaze head on. "You said you wanted the students to treat this like an actual Villain attack on a city. That is the test you are conducting here?"

"Indeed,"

"Then I fail to see how we've done anything to the contrary." He said respectfully, though his posture verged on defiant. Nezu looked bemused cocking his head to the side ever so slightly.

"Is that so?"

"A disorganized brawl in the middle of main street is hardly how I'd describe that ideal." he said gaining confidence as he continued. "Pro heroes shouldn't be fighting each other to land finishing blows. Even heroes of differing agencies know that the safety of the populace comes before everything else."

"Bold words for a young man, Bold words." Nezu said calmly. "Though it seems you are focusing more on others actions then your own. That is why I asked to speak with you both." he continued to be evasive and vague. He was baiting them for answers... which ones it was hard to say. "What about you young lady?"

"I- belief is-Mm" she grew tongue tied under the intense pressure of his gaze. "((Dang it))" she seemed to shake it of, hardening her expression... which was admittedly still came off adorable. "((No offense meant to you Nezu sir, but I stand by the actions I've taken today. We both worked hard and showed our very best out there. If that isn't good enough then I'm sure there's another school who will))." she finished proudly.

"((I see))." Nezu answered smoothly in English with barely a hint of accent. He looked between the two of them once more before he smiled brightly, the intense aura of authority evaporating like it was never there at all. "I think I've heard all I need to. Thank you for your time." he said with a bow before simply walking off leaving both teens off-balance and looking to each other.

"So...was that good or bad?" Pony asked after a moment of uncertainty. Minoru rubbed his temples and shook his head.

"I have no idea... I guess we'll just have to wait for the results to come in." he said with a sigh, Nezu never gave a clear answer on his feelings the entire time... He could only hope his hunch was right. "Well, Good luck Tsunotori-chan."

"Pony,"

"huh?"

"Call me Pony," she smiled brightly. "I rather my friends call me Pony."

"Friends? I-" Minoru was taken aback by the sudden gesture but she raised a hand before he could say anything to the contrary.

"((You were planning on the taking the blame, weren't you Mineta-kun?))" she asked with a gentler expression. "((Once it looked bad, you were going to take it all on yourself to try and help me))."

"Er, well." Despite himself he found himself blushing a little bit, not expecting to be pegged so easily. "Yeah..." she crouched down to look him in the eye.

"Sound like something a friend would do." she noted smile cutely. "That what I think." she put out her fist again, "So friends?" he had his doubts. He remembers a world where the two of them never spoke, likely all she ever heard him say was something perverted or embarrassing before never seeing her again. This wasn't that world though, something had changed other then him. Or the action he'd already taken had changed things... Whose to say what this world had in store for him? He smiled and bumped his own fist against hers.

"Friends." He enjoyed the happy thrill he got from saying that, though it was embarrassing on some level... a man in his 40s being so happy about making a new friend. but he wasn't in his forties anymore was he? Time travel was so confusing sometimes. They both pulled their fists back looking quite pleased with the situation "So Pony-chan, I assume it's only fair you call me Minoru then?" he asked casually, she scratched her cheek.

"Well only if your okay with it, Its not like it'll change things if you'd rather not." she admitted honestly, "It's just in America it's much more casual about such things."

"Well I have no problem with it." he left most formalities aside a long time ago. Once you're no longer in the spotlight no one really cares what you do. Despite his casualness about it all she seemed genuinely thrilled at his agreement.

"Then it's settled." she closed her eyes and smiled brightly. "Minoru-kun!"

Minoru stood on the train ride home, the setting sun filling the sky with shades of red and pink. He stared at his phone and the new contact he'd just gained. There was some irony in the fact that despite doing his best to avoid the impulses of his younger self he'd ended up leaving the exam with a girl's contact information. Fortunately it wasn't anything seedy like that... It was marker for the first step forward on his second chance. He smiled to himself and pocketed his phone. Now it was just a matter of where it would continue onward back to UA or would he need to go elsewhere. Either way he started moving forward, there was no looking back now.

* * *

 **AN** : Man I am Thrilled with how well this has been received thus far. In such a short time it's gained so many positive reviews and encouragement to continue. I didn't think this silly fic would catch so much attention but I'm happy it is... Anyway details on the fic itself, I skipped most of the exam covering it in abstract because it allowed to set up that grander view of the exam as a whole. Cutting back to Mineta and Pony on the tail end when something more drastic happens. I'm really likely the interaction between the two, Pony's positivity is an excellent counter point to Mineta's jaded side while he can use his own experiences to help her along her path as well. A good solid friendship set up.

As for the brief Villain Montage... Most probably won't know who Giantomacha is, well since he hasn't really done anything. he's appeared in a few small scenes but not much. There's a lot of debate on what his quirk is but we know he's big and physically strong. So Judging on that I assume he's quite the beast when he fully lashes out... I'm almost certain no one knows who the hell 'The Curator" is... he's a villain from an MHA phone Game, he's based off a bad guy for Horikoshi's previous work and from what little I read up on him seemed like quite the bad ass. His quirk is 'Whale' allowing him to take on a humanoid whale form bigger and more monstrous the Gang Orca but he keeps it locked away to look human. He seems to dabble or has access to mind control or memory wiping since one of his subordinates and a mind controlled hero "The ZooKeeper". I Pictured him gathering and mind wiping animal type quirk users to become his minions thus the scene of him apparently kidnapping Tsuya while Mineta was helpless to watch... maybe he'll make it to canon some day and we can see what he can really do?

It was also fun writing a bit of Nezu as well, there's a challenge in writing for smart characters (ones that are way smarter then the author). So hopefully the scene came out how I was envisioning it. only time, and you the viewers, can tell me. The next chapter likely more then a week depending how the writing goes, I have some very fun ideas for this fics future... Very fun indeed.


	4. Acceptence

((English))

* * *

It had only been two days since the UA exams but it felt like two weeks. Between the stress of Nezu's sudden meeting and trying to readjust his previous life had made it hard to wait patiently. He managed to pass a good amount of time the previous day acclimating to his room once more. It started with a thorough cleaning... as an excuse to dispose of most of his 'recreational material' hidden in the room. Books, magazines, film, and computer folders. The last thing he needed was temptation to fall back into bad habits, that and the age disparity were more unnerving then appealing... That being said he had kept hold of some of the more 'tasteful' pieces. He was still a man after all, boyish body notwithstanding.

Having his mom around again took some getting used to, but it definitely was a good thing. She had praised him heavily for his actions during the test and seemed put out by Nezu's possible distaste for the team up. It did come with a light amount of teasing about Pony as a potential girlfriend but she let it drop just as quickly. He could vividly remember his younger self avoiding her or being annoyed at her pushiness... Now though he was just happy to have her around again. But for now she was at work and he was alone and very bored...

"I should train..." Minoru said as he sat up almost surprising himself. Maybe it was the nervous energy waiting for the results or his sorry state by the end of the physical exam but It seemed a good an idea as any. Though now that he had that in mind it came down to a matter of HOW to train... it wasn't like he had access to a gym or training room. He and is mother lived in a modest apartment, the school wouldn't be open again for another week and half. So it looked like it was just a jog around town for now. It also looked to be a case of training alone since all of the contacts at this time in his life were acquaintances at best. Pony lived in another city entirely. That was no excuse not to start though. Dressing appropriately for some cold weather exercise, he Locked the door of the apartment and started his jog. This would also serve as a good chance get re-acclimated to his home town, last thing he needed is to get lost when he wanted to get somewhere.

After an hour going through downtown he passed his Junior High, empty due to winter break, He paused at the fence to catch his breath frowning slightly... He'd have to go back to school for a couple of months before getting to high school and he was NOT looking forward to it. He had few fond memories of the place. Considering his grades, less traditionally heroic quirk and his own perversion he had few friends and little time to rectify that. If he got into UA it really wouldn't matter... the fact that question still hung over his head was frustrating in it's own right. What's done is done, it's up to UA to make that decision. He went back to running and focused his mind on something else to distract him. The strange inconsistencies he'd been running into... his memory wasn't photographic but his mind had always been sharp. Enough for him to notice things might be strange but not quite enough to confirm if it was the case. Unfortunately most of the big news stories he could remember all happened after he'd started school with UA... the Villain Alliance, All Might's Retirement, the viral explosion of Stain's ideals...

"If I was a herotaku like Izuku I might be able to find some answers in whose active and not at this time." he admitted with a sigh, his breath clouding in the February chill. It was a strange lonely feeling, like he was separate from everyone else due to this strange leap back. He wasn't entirely sure it would go away even he ended up in the class again with everyone... but he hoped it would.

The rest of the week continued to pass at a snail's pace, but his new exercise regiment helped. He spent his days with jogging, stretches and discreet quirk endurance training _(Aka finding an out of the way place and removing balls as much as he could go before bleeding)_. His nights spent studying current events trying to find an answer to his hunches. At this point he was likely more in on the current events of the day then he had been as a teen. Some evenings he'd chat with Pony, as she was the only person in his contacts he felt worth it to keep contact with. She was going through a similar period of stress and boredom waiting for the UA decision. It was only the distance between their homes that kept them from hanging out and commiserating in person.

That was until Saturday when Minoru saw a bulky package in his mail after returning from his morning Jog. He grabbed all the mail and rushed upstairs, "M-Mom it's here!" he barely manage to squeak out. Overwhelmed by anticipation and a childish excitement he knew he'd feel embarrassed about later.

"Oh!" She looked up from her spot on the couch, immediately turning off the morning news. It was a rare day off for her, dressed in a simple sweater and pants, steaming cup of coffee half finished on the table in front of her. "Well bring it here, let's see what they have to say!" she sounded almost as excited as him. Tossing the rest of the mail aside he rushed over to the couch and hopped up next to her... he vaguely recalled in another life sneaking the disk into his room to watch it alone but shook it off as he carefully opened the envelope and placed the holomail disk onto the table in front of them. It flicked to life and showed All Might in all his glory, dressed in a golden suit.

"I am here as a Projection!" A small pang of nostalgia hit seeing the Fo-...Current #1 hero in all his glory. He'd forgotten this part. Though on the other hand.

"Is that All Might?" His mother gave a small gasp before leaning in with a grin. "All that muscle crammed into a suit like that, Oooh."

"...Mom."

"Starting in this next year I will be joining the teaching staff of UA to help mold this next generation of Hero." He announced proudly. "But no need to beat about the bush, you are hear for your results of your exam. Mineta Minoru." he placed his hands on his hips. Despite saying as such he still gave a short pause to build up the suspense. "As for the written exam you passed easy enough but as your aware the Practical is just as important." he leaned closer to the Camera. "You scored 24 Villain Points, which unfortunately is not enough to pass." Minoru knew there was more to it but could feel his mother resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Minoru-kun." she was trying to comfort him but seemed surprised as his eyes remained locked on to the projection. "Honey?"

"There's more to this mom, there has to be." He said hurriedly, fortunately All Might came back to save any further questions.

"If that's all there was to it." He added n a much brighter tone, All Might could be such a ham sometimes. "The entrance exam was not only graded on Villain Points! After all how can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?" he noted seriously, the camera moving to give the best dramatic angle to his words... for an acceptance letter they really liked to style it up. "But in your case Young Mineta it's a bit more complicated. Principal Nezu will explain." He snapped his fingers and the scene shifted to the Principal behind his desk with the usual pleasant but vague expression on his furry face.

"This portion of the video will be for both Mineta-san and Tsunotori-san." He said calmly as he steepled his hands on his desk.

"That's the Principal?" His mother noted curiously, cocking her head to the side. "Is he some kind of rat... or a dog?" she muttered softly but Minoru ignored her clenching his fists tightly. This was the deciding factor.

"You both know why I am here in your exam results video so let's not beat around the bush." he leaned forward slightly, that simple action somehow increasing the tension of the scenario ten fold. "Your villain points were difficult to calculate, your rather modest scores are the result of what we could attribute to your direct influence... But there was very few villains either of you took out without the other's assistance. Factoring in assists that would put both of your Villain Points at 45 for Tsunotori-san and 43 for Mineta-san respectively." that was... much higher than he was expecting. That might be enough on it's own...

"As you surmised this test was more based on more then just beating villains. Aside from points from assisting each other in take-downs there is a second category. Rescue Points!" he announced dramatically spreading his arms out wide. "After all what kind of hero school wouldn't turn down those willing rescue and help others." he snapped revealing the top tens performers in the exam in a screen beside him.

"Minoru you-" His mother covered her mouth as he looked at the list in shock..

"Mineta Minoru... 15 Rescue Points for a total score of 58. Tsunotori Pony... 32 Rescue points for a total score of 77." The principal announced cheerfully. His mother hugged him tightly as he continued to stare. 58 points... he'd taken 8th place out of the whole exam. Pony had actually managed to tie Bakugo's insane score, the two holding a joint first place. This was... more then ever could have imagined. "Your teamwork was stellar and your heroic instincts are both exemplary. On Behalf of UA I welcome you both to our Hero Course" he offered a hand out to the camera with a smile. "We're going to expect some big things from you." and with that he flickered off.

"You did it!" His mother wrapped him up in a big hug, "I'm so proud of you!" he didn't even try to resist, he couldn't even wipe the smile off his face. Despite the fact he'd graduated in his previous life, somehow this felt just as electrifying if not more so. He hugged his mother back tightly. He'd made it."This calls for a celebration. Ooh I know" she shifted her son to her lap. "How about we invite your little teammate?"

"Pony-chan?" he blinked in surprise. "Um I can ask, I know her family lives in another district..." it would be nice though to give her a proper congratulations for managing to tie first.

"Come now, This is a special occasion. I'm sure her family is planning their own celebration after all. It'll be my treat."

"I'll give her a call and see."

Back in his room he took his phone off the charger, noting several missed calls in rapid succession... seems like Pony got her mail today as well. He dialed up her number and it only took two rings for the girl to pick up.

"((Oh My God)) Minrou-kun ((Did you get your mail yet?!))" her voice radiated energy, far too amped to even try and speak Japanese. If he didn't respond soon she sounded like she might just explode. All things considered he didn't blame her, so he'd indulge.

"((I did, we did it Partner))." He said with a smile on his lips as he heard embarrassed giggling. ((Congratulations on Tieing for first by the way.))"

"((Well, I couldn't have gotten that high a score without your help.))" she said modestly, "((and you made it in the top ten too! This is so cool! I've already watched it three times just to make sure I heard everything right. Oh, and All might is... be teaching at the school too, ... so Insane. The Number 1 ..., teaching!))" she was rambling in rapid English to the point Minoru was starting to miss what she was saying with a groan of frustration he took a deep breath.

"Pony!" he said suddenly and firmly causing the girl to stop. There was silence on the line. "Slow it down a bit... My English isn't perfect." He said calmly in his own native tongue.

"Sorry Minoru-kun" she chuckled nervously, "It's just little overwhelming." she admitted switching to Japanese as well if only to slow herself down. "We're both going to UA." she said softly, the joy still clearly ringing in her voice.

"Yeah, we both made it somehow." he leaning back on his bed. "Then the real challenge starts in April."

"Right." she said seriously, well as seriously as her voice would let her sound. "Minoru-kun..."

"Yeah?"

"You think we will be in same class?" she asked after a moment. He frowned, images of his past time. The faces of 1-A all passing by him... and Pony just a girl in the other Hero class.

"I..." he stopped himself and sighed. "There's only 2 hero course classes... so it's possible."

"((It would be nice if we were...))"

"((Yeah... it would.))" Minoru was a little surprised how true those words felt. The last decade of his life had been a pretty lonely experience. Nearly no social life or any really hobbies aside from under the table heroism. Being held up as one of the biggest fallen hero in recent memory. Since coming to the past he realized it wasn't all that different... things had only really started to change once he'd started going to UA and well... he knew how that had turned out originally... he'd have to work on that even more. this was a start.

"Pony-chan."

"Yeah?"

"My mom wanted to invite you and your folks out to dinner in honor of both of us passing." he offered casually. "You up for that?"

"Sure!" it felt good to hear the positivity shine through once more. "Hold on, let me check if they're free." she said excitedly apparently putting down the phone and rushing out of the room. The last thing he could here was a distant '((Dad!))' from further in their house. It was only a few moments when he could hear the muffled hoof steps return. "Dad said sure but Mom's out on patrol right now. He might be free later though."

"Your Mom is a Pro hero?" he noted, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yup," she confirmed happily. "Though she's only just started in Japan she was hero in America for a while, she's been trying out few of the local agencies."

"I See," That was interesting to consider, there weren't just high profile pros after all... He hopped off his bed. "Let me check with Mom for when she's free."

The back and forth went on for a while before both families came to a mutual agreement. It would be several days later when the two would finally meet. Obviously it was nice to see Pony again, even if her own parents had joined in on the teasing if only to get a rise out of their Daughter. Both mothers hit it off fairly well, both were bold, strong woman who knew what they wanted... physically it was a bit comical though. His own stout mother chatting animatedly with a tall, muscular blond American woman with her own impressive set of... horns. It was the safest place to focus. Last thing he wanted to do was skeeze out his new friend but ogling her mother. Her father was a civilian, a businessman who did a lot of work overseas. Though rather unassuming he possessed a similar bold energy as his wife and daughter... no doubt it was part of what drew the family together. Celebrations were had, embarrassing stories were told much to the annoyance of Minoru and Pony but over all it had been a nice experience.

Not what you could say about his brief return to Junior high. The final months were a frustrating experience, the school work was unsatisfying, the student body seemed resentful that he'd apparently made it into UA and took his change in attitude as clue he was up to something. He powered through it focusing more on his exercise and training to prepare for UA. In the final days of march he found himself staring at the uniform request forms. He remembered his first super hero suit. "The diaper" as many of his detractors liked to comment... It was a design of convenience but aesthetic-wise it was a train wreck... though he was ashamed to admit he had thought it was cool back then. Instead he filled it out with one of his later suit redesigns in mind... It wouldn't look quite as good before his growth spurt but best to start now. Satisfied he sent it back out on his next morning jog and fought through the last two weeks of Junior high with the Goal of UA in mind.

Winter turned into spring as the first day finally came. He'd woken up extra early that day, excitement being too much to bare. His mother had stayed to see him off before going to her own job and before he knew it he was outside the gates once more. The train ride had been a blur, more focused on exchanging nervous texts with Pony. Ever since they got the confirmation they were both in Class 1-A it had been hard not to get excited, he did his best to ignore the small part of him blubbering on about how he shouldn't be changing things. At this point it was too late to turn back... He waited just within the gates watching the students pass by and the sakura petals falling. Unlike the exam there were far more familiar faces now. He had to hold himself from calling out, constantly reminding himself they had not met yet. There was one familiar face he was happy to see and didn't hold himself back.

"Midoriya?" he called out getting the green haired boy to look around confused until he saw Minoru waving. He gave a small wave back himself as the shorter boy approached.

"Mineta-san, right?" he asked hopefully, Minoru nodded with a smile.

"Yup, congrats on passing the exam. I saw you on the top list, with nothing but rescue points at that. Impressive." He repressed his chuckled at the boy reddened at the compliment.

"Oh? Y-You too!" he managed nervous smile, "I got lucky more than anything, I'm just glad it turned out okay." Quick to deflect the praise, humble as ever. "Mineta-san, you were on the top list too weren't you?"

"I Guess so, I was surprised I scored that high to be honest." he admitted freely. "I'm just glad it worked out alright."

"Minoru-kun!" The cheerful voice he'd grown familiar with over the last few months was heard easily over the crowd. Pony practically bouncing down the path waving exuberantly.

"Pony-chan, Good Morning." Minoru greeted with a smile as she came to a stop.

"Good Morning... hm?" She looked to Midoriya who seemed to be folding in on himself. "Another friend?"

"Another Hero course student, we met briefly at the exam." he said with a small pang of regret... they'd be friends again before too long. He reached up and clapped the other boy on the back making him straighten up in surprise. "This is Midoriya Izuku,"

"Ah! Tsunotori Pony, Nice to Meet you Midoriya-kun!" she greeted with a bright smile that seemed to turn the poor boy into mush. Minoru had forgotten how withdrawn the boy was back then. They'd need to work on that.

"H-Hello." he managed to squeak out.

"So which class are you in Midoriya-kun?"

"Er," he shakily searched his pockets until he found his letter. "1-A." he confirmed and it took everything in Minoru's power not to let out a massive sigh of relief. He masked this with a grin as Pony clapped.

"Same as us!"

"Look forward to working with you Midoriya-kun." Purple haired boy said with a wink while Pony Nodded, slowly a smile came to the nervous boy's face and he nodded back.

"Same..."

"Well it not good to be late on first day. Let's go!" Pony pumped her fist and started to jog ahead, while Midoriya visibly relaxed. Minoru couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the reactions.

"She can be a bit on the energetic side but she's a sweet girl. You've got nothing to worry about." He assured him only getting a slight nod in return.

"Come on slow pokes!" she called from further up ahead and he shook his head before starting to jog after her, Izuku's own footfalls just behind him. It felt good to be in the halls proper once more, like coming home even more so then his own apartment. Pony eventually slowed once she realized she didn't know how to get to the class room and The purple haired boy took over.

"I looked into it earlier, I didn't want to get lost on my first day." he said before either could question it. Leading his two classmates to their new room, nervousness began to fill him as he closed in on the door. He'd already changed things, what would 1-A even look like now? He hid his nerves as best he could and allowed the more energetic Pony to open the door in his stead. He scanned the room looking for inconsistencies... It was mostly the same which did much to calm his thumping heart, the classroom was still filling in but everyone else already there were the classmates he remembered. There would be at least one being removed due to Pony's inclusion but that seemed to be the only real fault. Relaxing more he moved to his seat and tossed his bag onto the top. Izuku was getting mobbed at the door and he was handling it about as well as he had before, that being by fidgeting awkwardly and stuttering. The Nostalgia of it all made it hard not to smile...

"Oh! It's the cutie with the freckles!" A female voice carried over the din of the chatter that caused Minoru's blood to run cold. He quickly looked back to the door to see Izuku trying to disentangle himself from a blond girl with messy buns. Her yellow slit eyes and fangs gave off an cat-like impression, her whole body giving off an aura of mischief as she teased the shy boy at the door... But there was nothing innocent about it to Minoru who looked on with haunted eyes. Seeing an image of the blond with a manic smile and a bloody knife layered over top the girl who was smiling amongst the others at the door.

What the hell was she doing here?!

* * *

 **AN** : Okay there was a lot of skipping in this chapter to get things moving toward canon events... pony remains a major character and Minoru is going to have to reconnect with his class... and Toga is here. I won't go into detail why but it's going to be a thing for the following chapters... This version of events will be different in many different ways.

Overall I'm still enjoying writing this fic and I'm super thrilled how much love this story is getting, so many reviews and favorites... Hopefully i can keep delivering chapters to you at a decent pace, even though this fic is not my highest priority to work on. Till next time!


	5. Assessment

((English))

* * *

It wasn't until they had changed and started out toward the field that Minoru could start to assess his situation... 1-A had changed... not to a large degree but the pieces that were missing were notable. Uraraka, Todoroki, Sero and Jiro... no doubt at least three of them were in Class 1-B but there was no easy way to investigate that right now. In their place were four new faces... Well, it was strange to call Pony a new face, as she'd been the one constant he'd had since his arrival in the past. But for the purposes of this discussion she was a new face to 1-A.

Next was Kosei Tsuburaba, Minoru wasn't personally familiar with the boy meaning they rarely crossed paths as pros. He didn't have any stand out features that were memorable but he seemed quite expressive as he chatted with Denki and Kirishima. He had some kind of Air quirk he recalled but couldn't remembered exactly what it was...

Juzo Honenuki on the other hand he was very familiar with, after all Mudman was consistently in the top ten ranking of heroes for as long as Minoru had bothered to keep tabs on it. Despite his ghoulish appearance he seemed like a very chill, collected kind of guy. His softening quirk was very versatile and carried much of his success as a Pro. He apparently was one of the recommended students alongside Momo which meant that he was likely why Todoroki wasn't here. Strange, but fair enough...

It was that last of the newcomers that dominated the short boy's thoughts. In what unholy dimension had he stumbled into that Himiko Toga was in UA? There was no way the actions he'd taken in these few short months could have led to an outcome like this... There was more at work here. Despite her cheerful chatter with Tooru, Pony and Mina he couldn't shake the image of the knife wielding maniac from his past. She was one of most infamous killers of her time. Her blood lust coupled with her shape shifting made her a top priority threat, her dark obsession with Izuku only heightened it for Minoru personally... and yet here she was. In a UA High Gym Uniform. In the Hero Course... It was only due to his stringent self discipline he was able to look outwardly calm despite the warning alarms blaring in his mind. From what he gathered she had been in the same battleground as Izuku and had actually broken the boy's fall after he crippled himself destroying the zero pointer. The exact details around it were fuzzy as he'd kept his distance from the girl since he noticed her, he'd have to look into it later... Back in his time it was Uraraka that had saved Izuku after he had saved her. If she had been relocated to a different battleground then it's possible that someone else had gotten trapped, like there were some constants in the universe that couldn't change. After all it was that action that had allowed Izuku to pass his test in the first place... In that case it was good that Toga WAS there to save him but... Man this was too much to try and figure out all at once. He took the details he did have and filed them away for later. He had all day to gather more information to see if he needed to be worried... for now there was quirk assessment.

Aizawa put the fear into the class and Minoru was able to fake enough concern despite knowing no one was in danger. All he wanted to do was prove he was better then his score last time. He'd been second to last in the past with only one good score in sidesteps. His conditioning had been terrible and his quirk use was unrefined at the time... This time he was ready to put on a much better showing.

"Er Sensei?" Toga spoke up as soon as he set the terms for the tests. "What should I do considering my quirk?" she asked with an awkward smile. He passed the girl a neutral look.

"If can convince someone else to donate that's up to you." he said with an almost audible shrug. "It's a hurdle your going to have to overcome if you want to be a hero Toga-san." he added firmly causing the blond to sigh.

"Ugh, Yes Sensei."

"Donate?" Denki muttered in a confused tone.

"You can turn into other people right?" Tooru noted one empty sleeve raising up toward where presumably her face was located. It was always hard to tell exactly.

"Right, My quirk lets me transform into other people." she seemed to force a smile as she placed a hand behind her head. "Though I need to drink a little bit of their blood to do it." she admitted reluctantly, as if waiting for the recoil... there was some, a good half the class looked uncomfortable with the idea. Not everyone was so thrown off though.

"It's a physical transformation..." Momo queried aloud, noting the other girl's nod she pressed further. "Do you get their quirk as well?" this brought everyone's eyes back to the blond.

"Kinda?" Toga said cocking her head slightly. "I get the physical body, but not really the internal stuff. So any emitter or generation quirks just don't work. If it's something physical like horns or big ol' muscles I get to use it." she clarified. "But yeah, I understand if no one's up for it on day one." she chuckled but was clearly wasn't as high in spirits as she had been before having to explain it all. Minoru kept neutral, watching Toga carefully throughout, looking for cracks in the girl's presentation... It seemed pretty genuine but it also made for a good way to present things on her terms. He could tell several of the others were already turning around on their initial distaste for the idea, so if it WAS a power move for sympathy it was working.

"I don't know if my body will be the best for every test but I don't mind necessarily." Tsuyu noted as she stepped forward, calm as ever. "You don't need a lot of blood right?" she asked curiously touching her lip with one finger. Toga shook her head.

"Nope! Just a taste, er prick I mean, should be fine for the tests I imagine." she smiled brightly showing off her fangs. "I really appreciate this... Ts-no, Wait. Asui-chan wasn't it?"

"No worries." she replied with a smile of her own followed by little ribbit. Toga reached into a little pouch and pulled out a small first aid kit, in addition to the basics it also had a small needle and a couple of glass vials.

"This will just take a sec!" Toga offered cheerfully as she removed the needle. "I've had a lot of practice." she assured the other girl as she carefully withdraw a small bit of blood, barely a forth of one of the vials, before offering Tsuyu her pick of cute animal band-aids. During all this Aizawa had already started testing with the 50 yard dash... Mina having out raced Ayoyama navel blasts. Pony and Iida were lining up next as Toga eyed the small amount of blood with a grin that was just a bit too wide before she noted her uniform and paused. "Er, I better take this out of sight. Sensei?"

"Just be quick about it, you're coming up soon." Aizawa said bluntly causing her to stiffen up.

"Right one sec." she ran out of sight behind a bush.

"Mineta, Kirishima you're up." the teacher spoke up forcing Minoru to break his observation and move to the starting line. He could see Pony waving at him which brought a small smile to his face as he line up next to Kirishima who was psyching himself up... his hardening quirk wasn't going to help him here but he was the competitive sort so he obviously wanted to make a good showing. Minoru ran the numbers and pulled three balls from his head as they got set... At the sound of that start both boys took off and Minoru threw his balls ahead of him, his short strides were quickly outpaced. Once he reached the first ball he bounced off it at a forward angle rocketing forward right into the next on and the next. The second half of his sprint went by much quicker, almost evening out with Kirishima in the process. It wasn't amazing but considering in the past he had just ran it straight it was an improvement.

"Good race, nearly got me there." Kirishima offered him a grin which he returned but lost it as Aizawa focused his gaze on him.

"So, can you pick those back up?"

"No sensei, they'll likely be stuck there for a few hours." he admitted nervously, realizing belatedly he'd effectively made his running line unusable. "I have something in my support equipment but that's with the costume..." The underground hero grunted in annoyance.

"I see, we'll have to move the rest of the races over slightly so the other races don't get stuck."

"I can get rid of them sensei." Juzo spoke up with a raised hand. Aizawa seemed to consider it and then nodded his consent. The white haired boy approached and touched the ground next to the ball activating his quirk and sinking the ball underground before releasing it and moving to the next one.

"For simplicity sake I'm moving you to go last for the rest of the individual tests." He turned his bored gaze back toward Minoru who nodded.

"Yes Sir."

"Ooh, I could get used to this." Tsuyu's voice came off from the side leaping from the bush Toga had gone into carrying a spare uniform. This Tsuyu also had a much more expressive smile on her face as she landed, legs bending deeply. "You're in great shape Asui-san, especially the legs." Toga complimented croaking happily as she bounced a bit. The real tsuyu blushed slightly at the praise continuing to hold her more reserved expression.

"Um Thank you Toga-san..." she managed trying to take in the odd sight of seeing herself bouncing, many of the other class murmured on opinions varying on whether it was cool or strange. At least it wasn't hard to tell them apart despite the appearances.

"So how do you do the tongue thing?" Toga asked excitedly pointing to the tip of tongue sticking out of her mouth. "I can feel it all but it's not coming out." she leaned in close causing to Tsuyu to lean back away from her doppelganger.

"Well..."

"Toga, Asui. You're next."

"Ooo, Frog race!" Toga clapped her hands in front of her unconsciously letting out a couple happy croaks as well. Tsuyu seemed to laugh a bit as the two approached the starting line. It was a quick race, but the real Tsuyu took the win by a slight margin as she understood her body better. The two continued to chat on the other side of the the track, too far for Minoru to hear. He let it go for now instead focusing on the tests ahead...

Grip strength and sidesteps went about as well as they had in the past, he'd improved his long jump with a few strategically placed balls propelling him to the far end of the sand pit. Not quite beating Kosei who'd made a solid slide of air just after jumping head first, angled far enough for him to make it nearly to other edge. When it came to the ball throw a concerned croak was followed by a panicked Toga rushing off the field to the extra gym uniform she'd set aside, her Tsuyu disguise melting away in a rather disturbing fashion.

"I-I'll be just a minute!" she called back nervously as she disappeared into the bush once more.

"Dude... was she?" Denki 'whispered' to Kosei who was doing a poor job of hiding a grin.

"I think so..."

"Focus." Aisawa's voice hit like sledgehammer breaking both boys from their thoughts, "Tsunotori, you're up." Minoru kept his eyes focused on his friend, he had plenty of counter points in his mind to stifle the idea of Toga being naked. He'd fought the mad woman a handful of times directly and heard more then enough stories from Izuku and Uraraka...

"Yes sir!" Instead of throwing the ball Pony was doing her best to jam the ball into the tip of her horn. It took about a minute but once she was satisfied it wasn't going anywhere she brought her hands up to her forehead. She closed her eyes and stuck up both of her index fingers, her horns rocketed off into the sky before quickly growing back. She opened her eyes and began direct the horn with the ball stuck to it in a horizontal direction focusing on it carefully until it fell out of her range and immediately started to plummet. She moved her hands back to her sides and gave a sigh of relief before looking back to the class, Minoru offering her a thumbs up.

"Toga."

"Dang, guess I'm doing this part on my own." the blond muttered as she was just getting back in line. Knowing Aizawa that was probably intentional. Though she had no benefits of a quirk she at least was in good shape managing a good throw compared to many of the others without quirk tricks. She returned to the line next to Tsuyu. "And I was ready to try the tongue thing too." she added with a pout.

"It's okay, the ball didn't taste very good." Tsuyu's deadpanned response managed to elicit is snort of the laughter from the other girl. Minoru was just happy Toga was back to looking like herself, even though he'd done his best to ignore it... the wrongness of Toga disguised as Tsuyu irked him. It continued a bit more until Izuku's turn rolled around, his frustration clear as he looked at the ball. As in the past Aizawa stopped the boy's first throw, laying down the law that if he crippled himself just to get a good score he'd be expelled on the spot. Shaken but determined to succeed he tried to gather himself once more... Minoru had to contain his smirk, knowing what was about to happen.

"You can do it Midoriya-kun!" Toga's shout took Minoru and a lot of the class off guard, Izuku included. The blond had a grin that prominently showed off her fangs, offering a wink when the boy in question looked back her way. Izuku for his part reddened immediately and turned back to the horizon. Minoru frowned, hoping the girl hadn't broken the boy's concentration...

"SMASH!" considering the aftershock of the throw blew everyone's hair back, it was safe to say he'd passed it. 704.4m...

"Deku!" As in the past Bakugo was not thrilled and charged the now injured Izuku with intent. The brief altercation ending before it started with Aizawa's intervention and capture scarf. When Bakugo was released and stalked off Minoru decided to check up on the boy realizing belatedly that Toga had the same idea. He carefully pushed all his paranoia and disgust deep under the surface and focused on his friend.

"You okay man?"

"Y-Yeah I'm fine." he forced a smile as he cradled his injured hand. "Just something I need to get used to." he added lamely.

"Let me see." Toga asked offer her hand out.

"I'll be fine, I'll just need to see the nurse afterward." he assured her as his cheeks reddened.

"But it's only going to hurt worse if you leave it hanging free like that." She added with a frown motioning with her hand. "So let me see." she added a bit more force and this time the boy shakily offered his hand. She took it carefully looking at the swelling purple digit before she took her little kit from her pouch once more taking a small bit of wood and some medical tape. Proceeding the splint the injured finger to the one next to it, the wood keeping both straight. Her actions were careful and measured.

"You know first aid?" Minoru asked curiously causing her to blink and look down to him, apparently having not even noticed him, her attention fully on Izuku. She offered a smile.

"Just the basics, and the blood drawing..." She admitted before focusing on her work. "My aunt Shion was a nurse for several years and she helped show me what to do." she added as she cut the excess tape and took a step back. "How's that?"

"Its... better." Izuku noted surprised. "I mean it still hurts but not nearly as bad."

"Good," she responded with a bright smile. "Just be sure to go right to the nurse when we're done."

"R-Right." He squeaked in response, suckered in by the blond's cuteness. Minoru rolled his eyes and decided to redirect the conversation.

"So what was with Mr. Charming back there?" he chimed in with heavy sarcasm as he pointed toward Bakugo, obviously already knowing the whole history himself. Best set this information as known sooner rather than later if he didn't want to slip up later down the way.

"Yeah," Toga chimed in putting her hands on her hips. "He was going to jump you in the middle of class. Asshole." she grumbled crossing her arms. Izuku sighed and started to walk over to the next event flanked on either side by Toga and Minoru.

"It's a long story... I only recently developed my quirk." he said with a note of reluctance. "I grew up believing myself quirkless... and well Kacchan knew me my whole life growing up. He's a friend.. sort of... He probably thinks I'd been hiding this the whole time." his natural awkwardness did well at hiding his lies. It had been many years after Izuku had ascended to #1 that he'd come clean to Minoru about it all. It was hard to stomach even now but it put a lot of Izuku's actions into perspective.

"Well he better watch himself if knows whats good for him." Toga muttered crossly in a low tone, Minoru was unable to repress the slight chill that traced down his spine at the implied threat.

"It's okay really, I can handle him." he assured them both with a small smile. "I'm used to it."

"If you say so man," The shorter placed his hands behind his head. "But that doesn't mean you have to handle it all alone. Don't be afraid to ask if you need it." he offered with an easy grin.

"Huh?" he seemed taken aback by the friendly offer.

"Yeah," Toga seemed to roll right along with it pumping her fist. "That's what friends are for right?" It took a moment for that sentiment to register with the green haired boy, for him he barely knew either of them. He offered a proper smile in return.

"Thank you..."

"Hurry it up back there." Aizawa's voice broke the moment causing all three to flinch. The trio called an affirmative and jogged to catch up with the rest of the group. Izuku was clearly in better spirits from there on at least. Sit ups and toe touches passed quickly enough, the final events being a long distance run. Thankfully he'd been preparing for this with his regular training regime. Though his short strides cause him to quickly fall to the back of the pack.

"Hey," Pony's voice nearly caused him to jump. If she had wanted she could have been right near the front of the pack but was slowing herself down to run alongside him."You okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her as he kept an even pace. "You sure you don't want to be going faster?"

"No, done well enough." she said with a shrug. "You don't think Aizawa teacher would really expel day 1?" the question was a bit mangled but he got the jist, she'd seen through the pro's deception.

"Probably not," he admitted. "But still no reason not to try your best." he added with a chuckle, she offered a small grunt of agreement as they continued at an even pace.

"You have been watching Toga a lot." she added after a moment. Minoru reflexively cast a quick glance before noting the blond in question far enough up ahead that she wouldn't hear. He sighed softly and shook his head.

"Have a been that obvious?"

"Maybe, I just happen to notice." she said casually. "Thought you might be checking out like other boys... but had different expression." She was more perceptive then her dialog tended to imply. That he knew, perhaps he needed to be even more careful around the girl. He was silent for a moment, trying to figure out a good way to put it.

"Her quirk creeps me out." he decided to go with a half-truth. "I know it's probably not fair to her, but it just puts me on edge I guess."

"Ah, makes sense." Pony let out a cute little 'hmm' as she looked up to the sky. "Toga seems nice but it a little scary being able to copy." she said slowly trying to find the right words, frowning a little as she knew it didn't come out quite right. She seemed dedicated to keeping it all in Japanese for now so he rolled with it until she decided she wanted to switch. "We have time to get to know each other. We are classmates." she noted looking back his way with a little smile.

"Yeah I know," he managed a small one himself before turning his attention ahead several lengths, Toga running alongside Izuku chatting bit. He didn't let the frown show on his face. They were classmates, for better or worse... until he was certain this Toga was different he'd have to remain on guard. "I'll do my best to play nice." he finished, seemingly placating his cheerful friend.

"Good!" topic from there turned to more mundane, the duo slowly passing a much more tired Hakagure toward the final laps, nearly catch up to Kosei who had an odd breathing pattern, possibly so not to accidentally make walls in front of his own face as he ran...

The class gathered with anticipation as Aizawa revealed the final results. Pony had down well earning a spot right in the middle of the pack at 9th, Minoru was proud enough of his own creep up to 16th... even if Toga was two spots above him. Last place on the other hand took Minoru by surprise...

"No way..." Tooru sounded devastated as she saw her name on the 20th spot, Izuku sitting just above her. No one needed to see what her expression actually was, the slumped posture and light sniffle was enough. The teacher held his poker face well, as the girl tried to keep composed so not to embarrass herself. Unlike Izuku, who was purposely having to hold back, Tooru's quirk wasn't able to help her with any of the tests. If Minoru hadn't been stepped up his game in this second try he'd have been the one in her position. If he hadn't already known better what was going to come he likely would be feeling pretty shit right now. Mina and Toga had already started to approach the transparent girl for consoling.

"Oh, and I was lying about the expulsion thing." Aizawa threw out casually like it was nothing, no doubt enjoying the shriek of surprise from the class. Tooru being the loudest before her legs buckled under her and she fell to her butt. It only made the pro grin viciously. "It was a rational deception, meant to bring out the best in you." he admitted proudly. While the rest of the class (Save Minoru, Momo, Juzo and Pony) recovered from that bombshell he waved it off, offering Izuku a pass to the nurses office and telling them to look over the curriculum when they got back to class. Slowly the class got their wits about them as they started back to the locker rooms, breaking into boys and girls respectively. The general chatter focused around the events of the day, commiserating about how hard-ass their teacher was, comparing scores to see who had the better grip or run times, and of course Denki was quick to bring up the topic of girls. Minoru was quick to bow out and changed in silence... At first. His eyes drawn to the poster on the far wall. There was a peek hole there, it wouldn't have been filled in yet... The girl's hadn't even been aware of it until he'd gotten a bit too excited and ranted a bit too loud. The anonymity of it all was briefly tempting but he kept reminding himself they were all young girls, that he was here for hero work. It worked for the moment but that knowledge sat in the back of his mind. He looked away hoping distract himself. He noticed Izuku, half dressed and staring at his wrapped up fingers.

"Earth to Midoriya," he spoke up getting the green haired boy to jump a bit.

"W-what? Sorry."

"You okay man?" he spoke casually as he rebuttoned his shirt. "You were zoning out there."

"I guess I was," Izuku chuckled awkwardly as he went to finish changing. "I guess I'm not really used to it yet. Middle school was well..." he trailed off but had a pained expression. "I wasn't expecting everyone to be so friendly." he passed a sideways glance to Minoru. "I mean even back at the exam, you just walked right up to me to say hi."

"It's called being an extrovert." Minoru allowed himself a bit of sarcasm before chuckling. "You looked stressed out and I figured you'd do better if you calmed down a bit. That's all." he lied smoothly with a shrug before hopping up onto one of the benches to retie his sneakers. "Having talked with you more you seem like a nice dude to hang around with. If I'm botherin' you just let me know-"

"No not at all!" Izuku immediately cut him off, shaking his head. "I Just... Thank you Mineta-san."

"No problem man, we're all going to be heroes after all. Let's just do our best from here on."

"Yeah." He offered a big smile in return and that made the whole conversation worth it. With only his coat remaining Minoru hopped back down and took it out of the locker before shutting it.

"Catch you back in class." he offered before heading out the locker room and back to the hall. A flash of blond in his peripheral caused him to glance over to see Toga, leaning against the wall. It took him a moment to collect himself before he spoke up. "Waiting for Midoriya?"

"Er, yeah." she scratched the back of her head. "I just wanted to make sure he went to the nurses office." she said after a nervous chuckle. He didn't buy it for a second of course, hero student or not she still clearly had an attraction to Izuku. He'd almost call the fact she was trying to hide it 'cute' if it hadn't been... well Toga. He still didn't have any hard evidence against the girl so did his best to be civil.

"If you say so," he said with a hint of sarcasm and a shrug. "He shouldn't be much longer." it wasn't like there was any harm in offering that much, she was going to keep waiting either way. "How's Hakagure holding up?"

"Oh, she's mostly recovered." The blond admitted with a light snicker. "She had her fair share of colorful language for Aizawa-sensei."

"Ahh, best get it all out in the locker room in case it slips out to his face."

"Exactly..." slowly her grin faded. "I was scared there for a little bit. I heard some rumors that he'd expelled his whole class last year."

"I heard the same," he noted before shaking his head. "But I also heard he was fair about it... if we all survived the day then he must see something in us. That's a start at least."

"Yeah I guess," she agreed with a clearly forced smile. There was some baggage there and even with his curiosity about the girl he really wasn't up for digging. He pretended not to notice and offered a small wave before walking off. She went back to leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression...

The rest of the classes wouldn't begin properly until tomorrow... English with Present Mic, Math with Ectoplasm, Heroics with All might... Oh. That was tomorrow wasn't it. Minoru looked up from the curriculum sheet to look over to Momo. She was smiling pleasantly as she chatted with Juzo. He'd been avoiding her all day... but that would be ending tomorrow. His memories of high school were an embarrassing montage of less then flattering interactions with the future heroine... something that continued off and on even into their adult lives. A relationship he squandered for a cheap thrill time and time again. He'd intended on leaving her be this time around, kept it professional. She didn't deserve him messing up her high school days again.

"You okay Minoru-kun?" Pony's voice cut through his musing bringing him back to the present.

"Sorry, mind was wandering a bit." he said quickly, offering a small smile.

"If say so..." The beastial girl kept her serious look. Unfortunately this wasn't he could talked to her about... she really was too perceptive.

"I'm okay, really." he said in a softer tone. "It's just been a long day," this was a bit closer to the truth. Thinking about the past and trying to puzzle out Toga's presence had been draining. "Thanks for the concern though." he added with a small, but genuine, smile.

"No worries, We are friends." she replied with a right smile of her own. "Going right home?"

"Yeah, but I'll probably be up for chatting later tonight if you are."

"Sure!" with that out of the way it was just a matter of getting to the end of the period before they could head home for the day... Despite it being a shortened day, it was still nice to head back home. He had considered waiting for Midoriya but figuring Toga would be there he decided it was better to just head home and lay down, he walked with Pony all the way to the station before they had to take their separate ways. He arrived to an empty apartment, and crashed onto his bed laying limply for a good while until is brain began prodding him to get up... With reluctance he got up from his bed and pulled his computer chair over as he booted it all up. Opening the folder marked 'Observations' he made a new document and began to type. From memory he noted every difference he could think of along with theories on why the change had happened. It wasn't like he could ever show this to someone but it did wonders for his own sanity, to try and help him rationalize what was going on.

When it came to the subject of Toga he couldn't seem to make heads or tails of it all. He opened a new document and began to put together his own case file, just like he had in is 'vigilante' days before he'd come back. Carefully noting all of the interactions he had with her or observed. It wasn't much by the end but there was enough to make some educated guesses... judging by the familiarity Toga had made contact with Izuku sometime before the first day, likely even before the practical. He was still nervous enough around her, so it was unlikely they had met officially before then... Her overly 'friendly' nature extended to much of the class so it wasn't inherently suspicious but she definitely already had sights on Izuku specifically. It was still at an innocent level, her flirting no worse then anything Denki or his past self would, though that was probably a skewed bar to level it against. Still it felt off...in it all it felt like she was replacing Uraraka.

"That was it!" he exclaimed suddenly as if placing a major puzzle piece that made the picture more clear. That's what was really getting him. With the gravity girl's absence it seemed all the more obvious. "So where is Uraraka?" he mused lightly. Most likely she was in class B, she'd preformed well enough in the practical he saved the document and opened up a browser with a small reluctance he started to type in the search bar.

Ochaco Urar-

His phone began to ring nearly making him fall out of his chair, catching himself on the desk he pulled on the offending item and checked the number. It was Pony. He almost ignored it but with a sigh he hit answer.

"((Hey Minoru-kun! Sorry took so long to get on. Busy?))" her chipper tone and smooth english seemed to lighten his dim room, how long had he been typing away at those documents?

"((Nothing much just doing a bit of research.))" he admitted turning on his side lamp.

"((Studying already? There will be plenty of school tomorrow, take the night off.))" she giggled, He looked at the incomplete search bar for a long moment before he closed the tab hopped off his chair.

"((You are probably right))" he admitted shuffling over to his bed and sprawling out looking up to the ceiling. "((So what are you up to?))"

"((Not much, Dad gave me the Third degree and wouldn't let me leave.))"

"Um ((Third Degree?))" Minoru pushed a bit confused, he was all for letting her vent in her native tongue afterschool but he wasn't always up on the slang.

"((Oh right, um... he was asking a lot of questions.))" She clarified, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "((He's a bit over-protective with all the hero stuff. It was enough to let me get away to take a nice shower and cool down after that workout today))." she added cheerfully, allowing his mind to happily try and provide some visuals but he shut that door as quickly as he could.

"((Thanks for the mental images.))" he snarked lightly hearing her giggle in response.

"((Just your daily reminder your friend is a girl.))" she said teasingly. He couldn't repress his smile as he shook his head. Fair and fair a like he supposed. "((So, did you see the curriculum sheet? It really is all Pro Heroes, we even have a class with All Might tomorrow. How cool is that?!))" and so it went into the evening, the two friends unwinding and chatting until dinner came. Minoru getting his own interrogation from his mother about his first day... by the time he turned in he thought he was forgetting something.

Oh well, it could wait til tomorrow.

* * *

 **AN** : Okay, a bit of a slower part but I needed to set up this world's 1-A a little bit. Well Minoru needed to at least for his own sanity :). I do have reasons for my various changes... if you'd rather not read those then just let me say now I really am astounded how much people are enjoying and embracing my odd little AU. I really Appreciate the constant feedback and hope you continue to enjoy it. Next chapter, Heroics Class: Battle training!(remixed)

Okay, boring stuff now.

For those who want to know my reasoning for the changes to 1-A I'll go into them here, I'll of course be omitting anything that would be a plot spoiler for later on. This is purely my in-universe reasoning for the changes to the class.

 **0)** This is a general note that most people seem to forget but I'm just going to state it here... Class 1-a and 1-b are in equal status. 1-b is not the class for those who couldn't 'cut it' to make it into 1-a... they are just two heroic classes of 20 students... that is all. Got it? Good.

 **1)** How come Izuku wasn't last like in canon? Well the reason he ended up last after is ball throw was he was too distracted by the pain to perform well at the rest of the tests. Sit ups, Toe Touches and Endurance running... having his wound treated quickly made it less painful and during the run, clingy little Toga helped distract the boy with idle chatter allowing him to squeak by just enough to pass Tooru who was 18th in canon, just above Izuku and canon!Mineta. With Mineta over-performing and Izuku doing just good enough Tooru is left on the bottom. Poor Invisible girl... Good thing Aizawa is such a troll.

 **2)** Pony. This one is pretty obvious, her Practical exam team up with Mineta was very impressive to the staff and Nezu so they were to be kept together thus she got moved over from 1-B. Pus she's a wonderful cinnamon roll and I love her so there.

 **3)** Juzo. There are four recommendation students in the hero course. two for each class. one boy and one girl... Juzo happens to be one of the few students fluent in English. Thus logically he is put in the class with the one American exchange student in hopes of helping(much like he was in her class in canon when both were in class be). Todoroki being in class 1-b won't make him any less important to the world of mha( _ **see note 0**_ ), but we happen to be following Mineta as our primary character so he wont be interacting with Todoroki much. Hell they probably wouldn't have even if they were in the same class unless Mineta really did something impressive to get the boy's attention.

 **4)** Kosei. This will likely seem the oddest change. Way i see it, Kosei and Sero had a similar amount of points... they are fairly similar in character design but their powers are quite different. the subtle changes in the battlegrounds from canon caused a minor score variation between the two potential students and thus they got their classes swapped  
(author admission: I wanted to try messing around with Kosei's power a bit after seeing him in the class competition. Also the little pervy aside of him thinking about being wrapped in tsuyu's tongue was amusing and injects a bit of good-natured perverseness back into the class with Mineta trying to be good. in the end, Though I like Sero, I thought the two were close enough that I could justify the switch to try something new)

 **5)** Toga... you wish, no Mineta will be investigating things on his own :p SPOILERS


	6. Prelude to Battle

((English))  
' _Thoughts_ '

* * *

Minoru thought he had it figured out, he thought he had it all under control. That he only needed to worry about Heroics class that day...

He didn't know how wrong he was.

English and Math were fine, even for an advanced school like UA going back to 1st year course work was a breeze. The Rest of the class was fairly subdued, most being more geared for action rather then study. There was just one more class before lunch and then it would be All Might's heroics class... But Minoru's battle started early.

Heroic History and Arts. The instant Midnight sauntered into the room he knew he was in trouble. He'd always found her attractive in his high school days, but he hadn't remembered her being quite THIS hot. 'The 18+ heroine' had been a dominating and mature figure to fantasize about, and very easy to find... material on. But by the time he was an adult she was past her prime, at least past the point of his superficial wants. Looking back on it all she had aged quite gracefully and continued to work as a teacher and a Pro long after he started his own journey into the world of pro herodom.

Time travel though, was a wonderful thing. Coming back from Twenty odd years to now, she was only in her late 20s, early 30s. In a warped way she was now the appealing younger woman while still being the mature older figure. It was a perfect storm of hormones.

And he was staring... openly. Moreso then any of the other boys were for certain. His brain tried valiantly to reign his hormones in, as they had since the exam, but to no avail. She wasn't a young girl like his classmates but if he tried to use the excuse of her being 'too old' he lost his war in regards to his classmates. Even trying to rationalize that she was a teacher and he was a student only caused the feelings to flare all the brighter. It made the whole thing more exciting after all. With his defenses down all his mind could do was pray he didn't embarrass himself...

"Mineta-san,"

"Sorry?" He blinked coming back to reality

"Please read the next passage," Midnight said patiently, a subtle bemused smile on her face. That smile...

"Um, Right." He quickly caught up to the passage, ignoring the snickers of his classmates and doing his part for class participation. It was still the first class so it was more formality and set up. Heroic History and Arts covered famous heroes and events as well as in the iconography that stuck and defined heroes. Costumes, code names and super moves... they would come later for now it was about learning about those who came before. It was surreal in a way... as where he came from he was one of those lessons taught, though not in the positive light.

"Very good," she cooed before continuing her lesson. Midnight was a bit unconventional in her teaching, she kept the energy up for one (in ways Present Mic wishes he could). Perhaps due to it being a proper 'hero' class helped mitigate the usual boredom with the regular school course work. She also was a fan of the occasional risky analogy. Double entendres and suggestive ideas were commonplace, and if she found a student who reacted 'the right way' to those actions she'd target them for her own enjoyment... and yet the lessons were always easily grasped. It had easily been his best class the first time around, hopefully he could get little Minoru under control long enough to study properly this time.

The Torture/Pleasure came to an end with the period and the class adjourned for lunch. Pony didn't need to say anything, her clearly bemused grin was more then enough to see where this lunch period was going to take things. He sighed, but he motioned to her. "Go on." his tone was resigned to the ribbing that was no doubt coming as the odd pair started down the hallway.

"So, Minoru-kun is into older women?" she asked with a giggle. That didn't cover half of it...

"Something like that," he admitted, looking up to the ceiling and place a hand on his chin. "Though I am a man of many interests." he said in his best faux-academics voice. The blond snorted lightly and put a hand on her hip.

"You barely look at other girls." she shot back, unconvinced.

"Well, I am a something of a Gentleman." he continued to ham up the response, nodding solemnly.

"Really?... You just spent whole period staring at Midnight teacher boobs and butt."

"I did say 'something' of a gentlemen, didn't I?" he clarified with a wink and she just shook her head, but the smile never left. "Anyway, you ready for Heroics next period?" he took the opportunity to change the subject and she was gracious enough to let it slide. She pumped her fist.

"Yeah, first proper hero lesson from All Might! So Cool!" she announced brightly, bouncing a little bit as they walked.

"Should be interesting," he said with a knowing smirk. Everyone would get the chance to show their stuff and with the few mixed pieces even Minoru wasn't 100% sure what would go down. He planned to give whoever his opponents were a run for their money. "How big is All Might over in America anyway?" he mused lightly, it had been many years past the pro's retirement and death that he'd even stepped foot in the country.

"Oh, he big deal." she noted happily. "Not as big as in Japan though, but is much bigger country. Many more heroes."

"Ahh, I suppose that makes sense..." They got into line for food and Minoru turned his attention to the crowds, looking for any familiar faces. This would be the best chance to try and see some of class B... Unfortunately his height cut off most of his opportunity, unable to even see past the food line to Lunch Rush's station. It wasn't until after he received his tray and got back out onto the main floor he could really start to look,

Many of the familiar young heroes he knew weren't even students in UA yet. The many underclassmen to come... many poor impressions he'd need to rectify this time around. That would be for 2nd year on... for now best focus on the current class.

"So where you want eat Minoru-kun?"

"I'm sure most of the class will be together, it's still week 1 after all." he rationalized wile he focused on the crowds. "If you spot anyone just let me know." it also freed him up to get a bead on other studen- wait. A familiar tail of red hair swung into his view. Itsuka Kendo, future Pro heroine Battle Fist... There was no way she hadn't passed into the hero course. He led Pony out further into he center of the room in their 'search for 1-A' but his eyes followed Kendo's path to a large table full of mostly familiar students... He wasn't 100% familiar with most of 1-B in his pro career but he did know a few. Real Steel, Phantom Thief, Shemage, Comicman... he'd worked with or around some of them. Seeing them as teens again was quite the trip. Among the girls there was a much more familiar face, Jiro. The future Hearing Hero was smiling and chatting with a white haired girl Minoru was not familiar with but she at least seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Ooh, I see them!" Pony's excited announcement marked the end of his investigation for the moment. He fell into step behind his friend as they weaved over to the other side of the cafeteria. A good half the class was sat around the table, the girls mostly congregating to the right. A few boys starting to fill out the left. Ida and Izuku were chatting amongst themselves, Toga and Tsuyu were the only girls separated from the others as blond was seated next to Izuku with the frog girl next to her. Minoru repressed a sigh as Pony took a seat opposite Toga. He hopped up on the chair to her left, comically dwarfed by Sato to his other side. Apparently it was still in the introduction phase of things, Ida talking proudly of the Ida Hero lineage.

"Having a Pro in the family like that, sounds like it would be a lot of pressure." The muscular boy muttered as he carefully ate through his meal, removing any unnecessary sugars he could to the side of his tray.

"Not at all, I find it a great inspiration." Ida insisted adjusting his glasses. "My brothers success places a goal to aspire to."

"Exactly!" Pony chimed in before taking a big bite out of her apple.

"Oh, your related to a pro as well Tsunotori-san?"

"Mm hm!" she nodded happily. "My Mother. Cow Lady" she announced proudly to the general confusion at the table.

"hm, I can't say I'm familiar with her work?" Ida muttered touching his chin thoughtfully.

"Cow Lady... Wait, didn't she just start up a couple of months ago? A Transformation Quirk, right?" Izuku's response caused Pony's smile to lighten a few more watts as she nodded with a happy little noise. You could always count on Izuku when it came to hero business. The topic meandered for a bit, slowly moving from pro hero families, to just families in general.

"Both of my siblings are younger." Tsuyu noted with a light croak. "So I have to be the one making the good example." Sato chuckled deeply.

"Same, between my little sister and two step brothers mornings are always a mess. But it wouldn't be the same if it wasn't." He added with a small smile.

"Hm, I'd always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling." Minoru decided to chime in, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. "Though if they got the height genes I don' know how I'd live it down." this got a some light chuckles from the table at his expense. "But with just me and mom we can get by in an apartment without it being too crowded." he felt the mood dip slightly as he causally mentioned his lack of father. It was something he'd come to terms with years ago, but perhaps not something to ring up in breezy conversation.

 _Smooth Minoru, real smooth..._

"...I feel that." Toga's soft agreement and knowing smile put a twisting feeling in his gut. The last thing he wanted was her trying to 'relate to him'. That was too damn awkward. He kept it bottled so it wouldn't show on his face only offering slight nod her way in return. "Though I do have an adorable niece and she's just the sweetest thing!" The blond swooned a bit, bringing the table back out of that awkward dip. "Looked after her for my aunt since mom was usually busy with work." Once Toga took over the conversation Minoru decided to focus more on his lunch. Before too long the bell rang and it was back to classes once more.

Heroics Class. Battle Training with All Might's supervision and they're chance to use their costumes for the first time... Needless to say the class was excited. Everyone rushed out of the room clutching their cases and heading to the locker room, The room was abuzz with excitement as everyone donned their costumes for the first time. Minoru cracked his case and looked over the contents with small smile. It was a middle ground between his first costume and the one he ended up with as a pro. The mask was the same, the yellow gloves and boots complimenting the purple body suit. The white shorts were replaced with a golden and white utility belt. he checked the pockets with a grin. It was just was just as he asked. This small bit of support equipment would go a long way for getting through year 1. he could worry about the rest of his gear and upgrades for later on. Shouldering his cape and tying it off, he felt a swell of nostalgia. Unfortunately the proportions weren't going to look right until he had his growth spurt next year... but for now this would have to do.

A few minutes later the class made their way through the tunnel, dressed in full regalia. For the first time since coming back he felt like a hero again... though in reality there were still many steps ahead. Before them stood All Might with his hands on his hips, this felt even more surreal. He'd gotten so used to All Might's shriveled form that seeing him all buffed up again was just strange. He turned his attention to the rest of the class... Whether he was getting better at repressing his urges or little Mineta had gotten his fill earlier when ogling Midnight, but he was able to easily stifle the little voice in the back of his head. Even Momo's original outfit in all it's skin showing glory was manageable.

"Ooh, Nice." Pony's voice caught his attention as she offered him a thumbs up. "Is simple but looks cool." He smiled a bit and took in her look. The top was somewhere between a skirt and a long shirt that went just passed her hips. Under those were leggings that blended into leg guards only revealing her hooves which were capped off with metal and rubber tread. It wasn't quite skin tight but it hugged her curves nicely. It was colored in orange and peach giving off the illusion of skin despite keeping her fully covered. Mixed around it all was a series of straps leading to a set of reigns, a small saddle and stirrups.

 _'heh, You know I wouldn't mind a ri-'_ and that thought/any other thoughts of 'riding' were immediately shut down with practiced efficiency. He really was getting good at that.

"Yours is very cute, the colors compliment you quite well." He said with a smile, his genuine tone seemed to make her embarrassed. Scratching her cheek with a single finger as she giggled. "All the straps and such seem like they'd hold you back in a battle training though..."

"But it essential for rescue." she asserted quickly. "Will need to get used to them in case needed for real."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense." if she got used to it in training they wouldn't hinder her later in a more complicated scenario. She'd clearly thought it out. In the corner of his eye he noticed All Might stifling a laugh and curiosity brought his attention over to Izuku, his green bunny eared hood and mask. He'd forgotten how silly the first look was. The young hero was quickly approached by Toga, in some mix of a nurses outfit mixed with a school girl skirt. It was obviously designed to appeal, colored in soft pinks with a stylized heart motif in place of the hospital crosses. Despite that looked easy to move in, the only bits with seeming functionality being a removable belt with pouches similar to the first aid kit she'd brought to class yesterday. They were too far away to hear amongst the other chatting but he could clearly see her striking a flirty pose that flustered the green clad boy before she let up and they started talking.

"Minoru-kun." Pony whispered softly offering him a stern look and he sighed and brought his attention back toward All Might.

"Right, Sorry." he muttered back and she slowly let up. He'd promised he would try... and it seemed Pony was going to hold him to that. Fortunately All Might seemed ready to start the proceedings explaining the scenario they would be enacting today, his hammy bravado clashing with his clear inexperience in instructing. Either way it was now time to draw lots. He was calm, he could be professional with Momo and they could put on a good showing.

and then the pairs separated themselves into teams...

Group A: Izuku Midoriya & Pony Tsunotori  
Group B: Mezo Shoji & Yuga Aoyama  
Group C: Minoru Mineta & Rikido Sato  
Group D: Katsuki Bakugo & Kosei Tsuburaba  
Group E: Tenya Ida & Ejiro Kirishima  
Group F: Tsuyu Asui & Koji Koda  
Group G: Momo Yayarozu & Denki Kaminari  
Group H: Tooru Hakagure & Himiko Toga  
Group I: Juzo Honenuki & Mashirao Ojiro  
Group J: Mina Ashido & Fumikage Tokoyami

"Looks like it's you and me Mineta-kun." Sato said with a confident grin. "Let's do our best." Minoru blinked before looking at the 'C' in his hand feeling particularly lost. He glanced around at the other teams, it was completely different, sure it was drawing lots and several people were new in this scenario but it just didn't line up. "Um Mineta?"

"Oh right sorry I just..." he paused not sure what he could even use as an excuse for zoning out. He just shook his head clapped his cheeks bringing his focus back. He could make this work, he still knew all the players involved it could just come down to match ups then. "We got this, though there's a lot of strong competition in this class." Sato nodded gaining a serious look.

"((Okay)), for the first match up is..." All Might reached into two bins and pulled his hands up. "Heroes Team A... Villains Team D!" Izuku visibly paled while Pony tried to cheer him up to middling success. Across the way Bakugo gained a vicious grin while Kosei pocketed his hands and snickered lightly. Minoru felt a slight sense of relief when something familiar happened but it was immediately replaced with concern for both his friends... If he recalled this exercise correctly this was going to be hard to watch by the end. All Might motioned for the rest of the class to head into the observation basement before moving to talk with both teams.

"It's going to be okay, this is a controlled match." Minoru muttered to himself. A flash of a burnt and broken Izuku passed through his mind and he shook his head. Briefly his mind started to conjure a burnt half conscious Pony but he cut it off and clenched his fist. "It's going to be fine...". They went down a flight of stairs and entered a large room full of monitors, giving access to the whole building. Pony and Izuku were stood outside the building talking too soft for the closest camera to pick up. Inside Bakugo was standing next to the 'bomb' adjusting his gauntlets, Kosei was working his way up. Stopping at everything non-essential doorway and creating an air barrier in front of it. That was actually quite clever, if time consuming... it would mean they'd have to come into direct contact with Bakugo in the hallways rather then hide in the rooms, a definite strength for their team for certain. Concern bubbled up yet again and he turned his attention to his classmates for a distraction. Off in the corner of the room Toga was taking a needle out of her kit and taking off one of her gloves. The flash of distaste was countered by a reminder of Pony' stern expression. Placing his biases aside he took a closer look. Her partner Tooru stood in front of her, though with just the floating gloves it was hard to register much else.

' _Shes Nak-_!' and shut behind the door.

He approached, noting the blond curiously feeling around on the air, belatedly realizing she was feeling along Tooru's arm. "Are you doing what you think your doing?" he offered as he approached so not to interrupt any actual needle use.

"Well, it's going to take some time to get it just right," Toga said still focused on her exploration. "I'd rather not feel rushed by a time limit."

"Same," Tooru added with a nervous giggle. "Besides I'll be able to help guide her once she finds a the vein. I've had to help the nurses at the hospital since I was a kid."

"So you're able to see yourself?" Sato chimed in curiously having followed his teammate over.

"Yup!" she put up a V with her free hand, not wanting to interrupt Toga's search. "Though only with my own eyes, I don't show up in mirrors or cameras. Its the same thing for my dad."

"So you're a vampire then?" Minoru teased lightly with a grin, getting a giggle from the girl in question. Toga cracked a slight smile, revealing her fangs purposely.

"Now now, don't be cutting in on my gimmick Tooru-chan. It's all I have." she placed a finger on the air and went to pick up her needle. "That's the one I need, keep a close eye on it and don't move."

"Aye aye." Toga saluted with her free arm and offered a couple small adjustments as the needle came closer to Toga's finger. Minoru had to glance away before any contact was made... the whole process giving him the shivers.

"There!" Toga said proudly.

"Wow, you got it on the first shot." The invisible girl sounded both impressed and relieved. One could only wonder how many times she is usually stabbed on a doctor visit.

"Told ya, I've had a lot of practice." she said carefully watching the amount she was taking. "I'm gonna take a bit more then I did for Tsu-chan yesterday, don't want to get caught running out of transformation mid-exercise again. Not with all those cameras." she added with a light flush as she pulled away the half full vial. Minoru noted the change in name, it seemed Toga had made a good impression with the frog girl yesterday if she let her call her by her first name. Another one of those awkward pills to swallow...

"Once you drink that blood you're going to be naked either way right?" Tooru teased getting Sato to cough awkwardly and look away, you could almost see the red face bleeding through his yellow mask. Minoru immediately shut the image of two naked Toorus behind the door with hardly a flinch. "One out of two," the invisible girl gave a little huff. "I thought I'd get you for sure Mineta."

"Heh, you would do well not to underestimate my power." He said in the most dramatic voice he could muster, adding his own point for getting a light snort in response.

"Dork."

"It's okay Tooru-chan, we can't all be Midnight-sensei after all." Toga added with a grin and Minoru groaned covering his face, feeling the slight heat up under his hand. It really had been that obvious... and to be called out by Toga of all people. Though he allowed a light chuckle to go with the others. He'd be a good sport about it.

"5 mins of preparation have finished." All Might Announced. "Operation Start!" Everyone turned their gazes to the screens to see how the first match would play out...

* * *

AN: annnd Cliff hanger achieved. This was a fun chapter to write. As many people predicted, Minoru was going to have some trouble with Midnight this time around. He'd been in his early 40s before he'd shifted back to high school, thus it's been easy for him to dismiss his classmates as too young to perv on (for the moment at least). Midnight on the other hand gains the triple appeal and an outlet his repress hormones can perv on freely... where that goes once he adjusts to it more we'll need to see.

So you'll notice I randomized the battle training pair ups much to Minoru's frustration... that's going to be a consistent theme. Any aspect that was random in canon is re-randomized unless it was a key moment to someone(in this case Izuku and Bakugo fighting in round 1, just with a change in partners)... this will cause a lot of smaller changes that will continue to spiral out. I mean hell Sato is getting screen time, so clearly things have gone terribly wrong :p. Jokes aside I when i saw this combo on the randomizer I had to keep it, it is the classic Brains & Brawn combination and let me flesh him out ever so slightly. Also Tooru and Toga... I had to have Toga paired with a mutant type to make it interesting and well... the idea of Toga with Invisibility is no doubt going to give Minoru nightmares for weeks so that's a plus i my book as the jerkass writer penning his tale.

Next time,the Battle training itself!


	7. Battle Training- Rivalry and Stealth

"BEGIN!"

With All Might's bellowing call all four students set to action. Bakugo immediately left the top floor and started making his way down to fight directly. Kosei continued to set up barriers, using them to wall off the top floor staircase and making regular stop gaps in the hall. It was total offense paired with total defense... It would be a tough fight for anyone in the class to beat. Minoru's eyes shifted to the outside cameras to see Pony taking a familiar steady position and launching the horns from her head, quicking taking control of them and looping them back to her side, in that time they had already grown back. With a shaky nod Izuku grabbed hold of one and was lifted up into the air.

"A Pincer maneuver?" Iida theorized loudly. "she's sending Midoriya to one of the upper while she enters the front?"

"Recon more likely." Minoru chimed in pointing up to the screen. "Pony isn't able to move when controlling her horns, their likely using this as a way to find out where the weapon is hidden."

"A solid plan, but it seems Bakugo intends on playing spoiler." Momo added in her own two cents. The explosion user was making his way to the lower floors, with a vicious smile that only promised Violence.

"So confident in his teammate to strike out on his own." Kirishima said with a note of respect, clenching his fist.

"It looks like he's just looking for a fight." Tsuyu noted bluntly without her expression changing at all.

Things changed rapidly once Izuku passed the room with the weapon in it. He locked eyes with a surprised Koesi and both boys immediately alerted their partners. Pony nodded while Bakugo stopped his search and seemed to cursed before running down the hallway to the nearest window. Blowing out a window and jumping, causing a few gasp amounst the room. At least until a staccato of explosions kept him airborne.

"He can fly!"  
"You're Kidding me..."  
"So Unfair"

"Interesting," Momo said thoughtfully as she watched him streak around the building. "He's using just enough force maintain his momentum and make fine adjustments in direction. Very fine control for such an explosive power... Unfortunately, paired with such aggression." she finished with a sigh as Bakugo finished circling the building and was headed straight for the floating Izuku. After some panicked shouting from the green haired boy the horn he was hanging on to dropped several feet, forcing the explosion user to miss his first strike. Izuku held tight as it sped away from the 'villain' who was trying to reorient himself, unfortunately Bakugo's flight was faster then Pony's horn and he quickly started to make up ground. She sent her other horn off to intercept and it barely managed to clip the boys arm in time for Izuku to tumble back into the building through the very hole Bakugo had put in it. Pony began shooting salvo after salvo of horns, directed just enough to keep Bakugo away from reentering the building. Her Partner took advantage of this by making a beeline for the upper floors where the weapon was located

"Man, that Horn pressure is intense." Denki muttered as he watched his classmate dodge and weave around the horns, no doubt cursing up a storm judging by how his lips were moving. Anger in his eyes he turned his full focus to Pony and began to rapidly charge right toward her, able to make small adjustments or blasts to stop any horns from breaking his charge.

"He's coming right at her!" Tooru Squeaked

"But she's tied with him for 1st place in the exam, it should be even." Mina added hopefully.

"Not Exactly," Minoru admitted reluctantly. "Their score was the same but Bakugo's was made from entirely Villain points, while Pony was assisted by a bunch of rescue points..." Minoru trailed off as he watched the screen. In a head on battle Bakugo held the clear advantage even this early in their training... with her being unable to use her quirk without intense concentration it was her hand to hand vs him at full power. He watched as she stopped shooting horns and placed her finger on her ear, going from surprised to determined. The former pro quickly turned his gaze to the other monitor to see Izuku had stopped and was saying something to his partner. Was this part of the plan?

"Here it comes."

Bakugo came in swinging with a strong right, palm sparking and ready to blow. To everyone's shock she step forward grabbing his arm and head butting the boy, causing his head to whip back from the unexpected impact. The observer area was a mix of sympathetic 'oohs' and cheers. She tried to follow up the advantage pulling the capture tape from her belt to wrap his arm and take him out of the exercise. Though dazed it would foolish to underestimate his combat reflexes. With a sideways blast and a twist of the arm he managed to break her grip and land stumbling, eyeing her wearily. Unfortunately the battle went downhill. Her close combat style was modeled after her mothers, one for grappling and subduing. Bakugo's on the other was evasive and powerful. The observers winced as Pony tanked point-blank blasts trying to get close enough to grapple the boy, though whenever he tried to disengage to go after her partner her horns proved just troublesome enough that he couldn't leave her be... that meant the hopes for hero team were left up to Izuku.

"Kosei is really going to be on the back foot, not sure if his air barriers will be able to stand up. Midoriya's strength is ridiculous." Sato noted casually as eyes turned to Izuku rushing up the stairs. Running headlong into the first transparent barrier, one floor below his target.

"It might be tricky..." Toga said carefully, eyes locked on the screen.

"He's still working on control right now." Minoru finished for the other girl, for the rest of the classes benefit. "If he's not careful he could cripple himself before reaching the weapon, considering how many obstacles Kosei has left along the way." Up on the screen Izuku stood in front of a stairwell hands placed against the air that was blocking him, clenching a fist before unclenching and frowning deeply and crouching low managing to find a gap small enough he could slip under... With Pony starting to wear down from Bakugo s assault the next few moments would be key.

The casual commentary stopped as the situation grew tense the bunk shook briefly when Izuku finally unleashed his quirk and before anyone knew it...

"Hero Team Wins!" All Might Bellowed as the observers took in the aftermath of the battle. The building had seen better days with several holes and blown out windows. The Weapon room was a disaster area, all the loose objects and some rubble from the support pillars all piled up against the far wall. Kosei was amongst that rubble, groaning lightly. Izuku stood wincing with one hand on the weapon, his other hanging down with a three sickly purple digits. Bakugo was perched on the edge of the broken window to the room, teeth clenched in frustration, a white strip of tape hanging off his boot, having nearly wrapped around his ankle. Outside the building Pony laid on her back, surrounded by discarded horns that spread all over the open street. She was bruised and singed but smiling...

"That was intense for just the first match." Denki said with a sigh. "That's going to be really hard to top."

"Indeed, I'm going to have to try and shine extra hard." Aoyama said with a flip of his fancy cape.

"This isn't a contest for getting the best win, you need to focus on the pair whose going to be your opponent." Minoru said over his shoulder causing both blonds to groan. He turned his gaze forward once more, watching as Pony tenderly climbed onto the stretcher held by two robots. Bakugo had stalked angrily out of the building toward the observer's bay, Boy locked eyes with girl and he muttered something to her only for her to smirk in return. He turned with a huff and continued on, the robots taking a waving Pony away to see recovery girl. Minoru knew she'd be okay but it was difficult to watch. Izuku and Kosei followed a few steps behind him seemingly chatting amongst themselves. A few moments later the three boys entered the room.

"Welcome back my students." All Might greeted happily, bringing full attention to the boys. "As we set up the simulation in a new building, why do we go over this match?" he asked in his usual boisterous tone. Bakugo quickly found an unoccupied corner to wait in while Toga pulled the injured Midorya aside to tend to his broken fingers, the blushing boy apologizing as she chastised him lightly. "Who would like to start?"

"Two start both teams seemed to have a solid strategy," Momo began once it was clear no one else was going to speak up. "Tsunotori using her quirk to carry her partner to scout the building from the outside, while Kosei used his quirk to fortify the top floors. Bakugo going on the offensive was hardly necessary but with his partner having such a strong defense it's reasonable enough... At least until the fighting began."

"To be fair a plan rarely survives contact with the enemy." Juzo chimed in to which his fellow recommendation student relented.

"It did become something of a mess from there." Minoru picked up where Momo had left off. "Bakugo's aggression did manage to separate the hero team as he forced Midoriya into the building but Pony wouldn't let him pursue. Had he immediately changed his target to her instead of repeatedly trying to disengage he might have had more time to assist his partner later but his stubbornness of wanting to fight Midoriya gave the two an opening to work from." he took a small measure of satisfaction as Bakugo gave off an annoyed snort at his comment but did not dispute it.

"At that point it was a mismatch for both pairs... Midoriya's overwhelming strength against Kosei's Air barriers only came down to whether or not he could conserve enough of his power to be standing by the end of the blockade." Juzo chimed in shortly after, "Meanwhile Tsunotori-san's limited close quarter's ability were easily outmatched by Bakugo's own." it was harsh but true, for all his attitude Bakugo was easily the most competent fighter in the class at this point.

"That being said, Even though the hero team was declared the winner I'm not certain they would have truly won if this had been a real mission." Momo spoke up firmly. "Such a reckless display of power could have damaged the weapon and caused it to go off prematurely." Midoriya clenched his good hand and sighed, likely knowing he had much more to improve on... "That being said both Kosei and Tsunotori did their jobs admirably for the roles they were fulfilling on their teams. Don t you think so Sensei? all three turned gaze over to the pro who looked slightly overwhelmed by all the answers to his simple assertion.

"You three covered things quite nicely," All Might said, trying to save some face before quickly changing topic. "So lets start up the next match!" he went back to the boxes and pulled out the next pair of combatants. "Hero Team H Vs Villain Team B!"

"Already?" Toga muttered with a pout before turning back to Izuku. "Now keep those fingers straight, don't try to bend them okay?" she said firmly, the injured hand held carefully between her own. The boy flushed brightly and swallowed.

"R-Right" he managed to reply, at least enough to satisfy the copycat for her leave. She headed over to her partner who seemed pumped up... or nervous it was hard to say with only the gloves and boots as tells. Aoyama swished his cape, the cloth glittering dramatically.

"Let us win. Fabulously!"

"You will need to be alert, we should expect a stealthy assault." Shoji stated firmly causing his partner to flinch. The Boys headed off first while Toga admired the vial in her hand with trepidation as she headed toward the door, Tooru at her side.

"I'm going to try this his the hallway, just in case."

"Hm? Oh right! No Cameras." Tooru giggle as the two disappeared through the entryway. Denki edged closer hoping to peak but a stern look Yaoyarozu held him in place. Minoru took a deep breath and determinedly kept his eyes on the monitors, every urge inside him telling him to turn around and look. He would be strong... It was just Toga anyway, and if she was turning invisible then there'd be nothing to see anyway. Suddenly his heart dropped into his stomach.

An Invisible Toga...

"Yo Mineta, you okay man? You look Pale." Sato said with a note of concern for the smaller boy. The former Pro made a show of clearing his throat to collect himself.

"I'm fine, sorry."he said but added no qualification for his reaction. The boy schooled his face into a neutral expression while screaming internally. A shapeshifting murderer was bad enough... but an invisible one? He didn't want to crank this up to Lunatic difficulty! He could almost feel Pony's disapproving look when finishing that thought, reminding him that THIS toga hadn't done anything... yet. That he could prove. He shelved the concern for now and focused on the screens for a distraction.

Shoji could be seen moving the weapon up to the roof before locking the door. Aoyama posed and winked to the camera as he waited in the upper most hallway leading to the roof, giving him a clear shot to anyone taking the stairs up. His stoic partner gained a meditative look as multiple appendages arced out of his body all ending in ears.

"This battle really will come down to Shoji's ability to detect the Hero team." Juzo noted putting a hand on his chin.

"True, if Aoyama isn't alerted he could be taken down before even getting to fire. That's kinda Scary..." Mina added with a frown.

"I don't know, I can think of worse things than being pinned down by two naked girls." Kosei muttered to himself before snickering, getting the nearby Bakugo to snort in annoyance. Minoru sighed and shook his head. Mostly because he knew in the past, HE D be the one saying that comment... and a lot louder at that.

"Hmm, I see. Very well Young Toga." All might spoke up placing a finger on his ear piece. "In that case, both teams are ready. Let Match 2 BEGIN!" He announced proudly getting everyone's attention toward the screens... though this match wasn't exactly friendly for observers. With the hero team invisible and Shoji in deep focus the only visual they really had to go on was Aoyama's fidgeting and posing.

"Sensei can't you let us know where to look?" Iida said with a small amount of frustration. " It is hard to learn anything when we can't see what they are doing."

"Unfortunately no Young Iida. They have decided to remove their communicators so that there would be no visual cues the villains could use to spot them."

"That is likely the smartest thing to do." Midoriya spoke up approaching the group around the tv and watching them carefully. All eyes gravitated toward Shoji who remained motionless and deep focus. After what felt like an eternity his eyes opened and he began speaking. On another camera Aoyama jumped suddenly and looked around, reluctantly aiming his laser down and the hall and firing... what no one was expecting was the blinding light that followed blanking out all the cameras view for a few moments. When they could readjust Aoyama was on the ground, blinking pathetically, his hands tied with white tape.

"What the heck was that?!" Satou exclaimed.

"A flashbang? No, they would have no equipment with them..." Momo frowned trying to puzzle out the odd interaction. Izuku gasped lightly as if putting it together.

"Hakagure-san's quirk isn't being transparent... she's reflecting the light around her body."

"Ah, I see." Juzo shook his head. "If that is indeed the case it seems this battle was stacked heavily against Aoyama.

"Ouch, I feel kinda bad for him." Kirishima muttered scratching the back of his head.

"Oy, stop yer babbling the important part is happening." Bakugo shouted, apparently having stopped pouting to watch as well. Everyone turned their eyes back to Shoji who was standing an alert, guarding the only door to the roof, and thus the objective. The tension was unbearable as they waited for the invisible duo to make it to his room. and all at once it was over... Three arms swiftly grabbed one of the girls but simultaneously white tape was tied around his neck causing him to look over in shock.

"Hero team Wins!"

"Hm, he seemed surprised." Juzo noted tilting his head. "You'd think if he could detect one he'd be able to detect the other."

"Well Toga-Chan only using Tooru form for the first time," Tsuyu added placing a finger to her chin. "She's likely not as adjusted to the body yet." most of the class got behind that assessment but Minoru frowned, something didn't quite add up. He watched the monitors as Aoyama was untied and one of the invisible girls was playing with his cape. All innocent, everyone being cordial and relaxed now that it was over...

Why try wrapping the tape around Shoji's neck? with so many limbs any of those could have to be much easier... Even as The voices kicked back in as both teams returned, that was the question that tumbled through his mind. He turned to see both boys enter alongside the telltale gloves and boots of Tooru. Unexpected was the floating nurses outfit of toga... The fact the copycat was still using tooru's form was interesting... and seeing tooru's invisible curves filling said outfit was much more appealing... Though once he was reminded that was indeed TOGA those observations were shut away with the rest.

The analysis was less in depth on this one as it had been a very straightforward affair. During the down time Minoru gathered himself and headed over to the still invisible Toga who was back with Izuku double checking her bandaging job. "Yo Toga-san." he greeted casually keeping a tight rein on his inner feelings. "I had a couple questions if you don't mind."

"Huh?" The uniform turned his way and then down, "Oh, well I suppose I don't mind." she continued speaking in Tooru's voice, shrugging slightly. It wasn't nearly as off putting as when she had been disguised as Tsuyu... but then that might have more to do with him knowing Tsu better than his invisible classmate.

"Thanks, Before that... any reason you haven't changed back yet?"

"Oh, well I can't until it runs out." she sighed. "I apparently have good compatibility with Tooru-chan so it's taking a lot longer to wear off.

"Really, that sounds like it could rough to plan around..." Izuku chimed in looking thoughtful. Though not notes would be taken until the boy got his fingers healed.

"Your telling me!" she raised her arms up before crossing them. Minoru got the distinct impression the girl was pouting. "Apparently it's just something my body has to get used to before I can get more control, But How can I really work on training that?"

"That would likely take a lot of blood." Minoru noted, trying his best not to shiver... considering the Toga he remembered had much better control that would add up. Well unless the girl was lying of course, that was always something to keep in mind.

"I'm sure there's something that could be figured out to train safely." Izuku said with certainty. "Maybe we can talk more about how your quirk works later and we can figure something out."

"Aww, Izuku-kun. That's sweet of you." she said grabbing the boys uninjured hand. "It's a date~"

"D-D-D-Date?!" The green haired boy managed to squeak out as he turned bright red. Minoru rolled his eyes as his friend melted down.

"You know Toga-san, you should be careful about flirting when in someone else's body you might give off the wrong idea." he smirked slightly watching the uniform look down to itself and back up before seemingly placing a hand behind her head.

"Er, right. I forget sometimes... Tooru-chan's body doesn't feel as awkward as some of the other ones I've changed into..."

"Compatibility right?"

"Yeah..."

"Speaking of which... what DOES Hakagure look like?" he couldn't help himself. This was a curiosity that had ate at him since his first time through UA. Toga giggled a very Tooru-like giggle.

"Now now, no ruining the mystery." she chastised lightly.

"Oh well, worth a shot." the shorter teen made a show of shrugging and turning to walk away before he stopped. "Oh, one more thing."

"Hm?"

"Why did you go for Shoji's neck?" he asked over his shoulder. The girl didn't reply right away, remaining still for just a moment before she giggled. Izuku looked between the two, surprised.

"Wow, color me impressed. You could actually tell it was me and not Tooru-chan." The two had purposely kept it a secret in the recap, if only for their own amusement. There was a note of respect there he had never heard coming from tooru's voice. Though he had to remind himself he was speaking with Toga. "Did something give me away?" He had heard long ago about Toga from Izuku, that she could 'erase her presence' seemingly disappearing from plain sight. Couple that with invisibility you likely could surprise even Shoji... though he of course kept that to himself.

"Not really, Just a hunch was all." Minoru hooked his fingers into his utility belt. "You didn't answer my question though." he pressed, face revealing nothing. "Why Shoji's neck when he had some many easier appendages for you to tag him. If he had detected you would have been vulnerable to his duplo-arms." he phrased it reasonably enough watching the floating uniform carefully for any tells. Of course she'd have to be in Tooru form right now... The hat tilted and a sleeve raised up as if she were touching her chin.

"I guess you're right, I didn't really worry about him noticing me." she murmured thoughtfully.

"Confident one aren't you?" Minoru snarked lightly

"Well I try," she shot back with fake modesty before she put her hands on her hip. "I guess I figured if he can manipulate his arms trying to grab them would be pointless, and the neck was open. Not anything really complicated." there was a pause. "Why did you want to know anyway?"

"Not anything really complicated." he parroted back, enjoying the slight huff of annoyance. "Just thought I'd indulge my curiosity is all."

"...You're a hard guy to grasp Mineta-kun."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I just have to find the right girl." he said with a little grin, unable to help himself.

"The third pairing is going to be..." All Might's booming voice interrupted the back a forth catching everyone's attention. "Hero Team E vs Villain Team C!" Minoru looked over to his opponents. Iida adjusted his glasses, with a serious frown. Kirishima punched his palm and offered a grim that would make Bakugo proud. His mind began to speed through possible plans, glancing to his partner. Satou offering him a nod as he pulled up his hood.

"Good luck Mineta-san." Izuku said earnestly.

"Be sure to give us a good show." Toga added cheerfully, the shorter teen allowed a smirk as he straightened his own mask.

"Just watch." was all he said before he turned and started toward the doorway. When he had first done this exercise in the past all he'd done was oogle Yaoyarozu. They had won the exercise due to her meticulous planning but with no help on his own. He knew he could do better and now it would be time to show his classmates just that. This was more than just an exercise...

It was time to make a statement

* * *

 **AN** : This chapter had a few rewrites as I debated on how much of the first two exercises to show... in the end I decided though this is technically filler it could be used for Mineta to show off his insight to the class. The world of MHA is still Izuku's story, even if we're following grape boy, so important milestones do need to happen. Granted the changes did stop the boys from having their first proper clash... So Bakugo hasn't gotten his world rocked fully yet, but he is coming to the conclusion that his no longer the big man on campus at default. For as stubborn as he is, he isn't stupid... so his growth redirected slightly but it's still mostly present. Izuku also isn't nearly as injured thus allowing him to be present for the rest of the exercise(pony will be back next chapter after she's patched up...

This was also a chance to show a bit of Toga-Mineta interaction in more then just incidental banter... take from what was said as you will ;). Next time we get to see Mineta and Satou square of against Iida and Kirishima... it's a big hill to climb but our purple protagonist has a plan... it should also wrap up the exercise. USJ is right around the corner and I can't wait to write it... it's going to be notably different.

one step at a time... so until next time everyone. Later~


	8. Battle Training- Top Students Rising

Five minutes, not nearly enough time to make it perfect but that's what he'd have to do. The Plan itself was simple... eliminate the hero team. With Speedster Iida in the equation trying to aim for a time out would be unwise. Traps would also be difficult with Kirishima as he had the brute strength required to break away the anchoring points of his balls. This was not going to be easy... so why couldn't he keep the smile off of his face?

As he rushed through the halls placing his balls on to seemingly random places, making so there were no straightaways or easy paths to navigate. He wedged every door shut at differing angles. Anything that would slow their ascent. Satou placed the weapon in the furthest corner before carefully placing balls Minoru had provided him on the stairs up. His hero costume having been given a light coating of oil the support group had devised that prevents sticking. Allowing the larger boy to ignore all of Minoru's traps without fear of getting caught.

Two mins remaining...

He could already feel the tell tale ache in his scalp as he reached the second to last floor. If he was going to make the stand it would have to be here… "I'm gonna need you on the floor below Satou, soon as you can." he called over his comm-link and began to place his final traps. In this hallway he was more careful noting the angles between balls as they were placed. Speed would be paramount, he couldn't afford any mistakes. Heavy footsteps told of his teammate's arrival before he saw him. "Use a little bit of sugar and see if you can pull of the doors to the rooms here, we can use them.

Okay," Satou said with a slight frown as he came down from the top floor. "Are you sure we could leave it unguarded? What if they sneak in through the window?"

"That's not their style." Minoru said without turning around, carefully placing another ball. "Iida is as straight-laced as they come, it wouldn't occur to him try anything sneaky. Kirishima is similar, he's got a strong sense of honor and wants to prove himself in a straight fight." He stood up straight and turned toward Satou with an appropriately menacing grin. "I, as a villain, have no intention to play fair. Now get the doors and bring them over to the stairs we don't have much time." Satou seemed a little taken aback but nodded and downed a small packet of sugar, muscles visibly bulging as he headed the opposite way down the hall. Minoru went back to his business ignoring the ache in his scalp. Just a few more...

 _~ Pony POV ~_

Pony held herself from running back through the halls, her body heavy despite her wounds and aches being healed. Recovery girl had given her the okay to return back to class as she would be seeing no more action. She didn't want to miss class if she could help it, she needed every bit of help to become a great heroine like her mom... besides this was All Might's first class! She unconsciously began to pick up the pace as she left the academics area and started toward Ground Beta.

The fresh air revitalized her, giving her a proper second wind. Her mind went back to the training the desperate struggle against Bakugo. She'd never fought such an elusive and powerful opponent. He hadn't even been giving her his full attention at first, thinking she'd been easily swept aside so he could go fight Midoriya. Toward the end, when he began to fight properly, she could barely keep up. She wanted to fight him again. She had told him as such as her was walking by her stretcher, the boy scoffed but after turning said she was welcome to try. No heat or sarcasm in his voice, his fist clenched around a small strip of white tape. This was the kind of hero training she had been hoping for, just imagining what might be coming around the corner gave her a thrill of excitement. Surely the others were having just as much fun and here she was missing out. She brought her focus forward surprised to see the battleground already coming up ahead... somewhere in her mental wanderings she'd managed to make it to full stride, her blond hair whipping behind her. She eased her pace as she closed in so not to be out of breath by the time she arrived. Entering the bunker she heard All Might's billowing voice.

"BEGIN!"

A few more strides brought her to the door where she paused to properly catch her breath, a few glanced back and looked surprised to see her she offered them a smile before walking forward to join the group by the monitors. She immediately tried to locate Minoru but didn't see him even after getting to the front of the crowd... she turned her eyes up to see him carefully laying traps alongside Satou, while Iida and Kirishima carefully worked their way through the chaotic mess of the lower floors. The studious Iida was missing a glove, having apparently lost it to a ball by the entrance. Kiriashima was sporting a few as well, along his arm small chunks of door and wall hanging off them. Pony couldn't help but grin, Minoru was making them play by his rules.

'You okay?" Tsuyu whispered as she moved up next to the American.

"Mm, Recovery Girl said good enough to return to class,"

"Good," she croaked lightly, the concern was touching especially from Tsuyu who could be so hard to read most of the time. She felt the lightest touch on one of her horns as Mina slid into her personal space, expression curious.

"Did your horns get shorter?' The American chuckled a bit as the pink skinned girl seemed to be mental measuring them.

"Yes, They are short now. Used my quirk a lot in very short time." They were nearly half their normal length, stopping at the point they would start to curve back in. It made the short girl feel even shorter. "I will be able to grow full horns again by end of day." she assured them with a bright smile.

"I think it's kinda cute, do they get smaller?" Tooru pressed coming up to her other side and playing with her other horn..

"Er, yes. They can. Would really need to over-work for that though." she put up a pair of fingers at her forehead like she would to initiate her quirk. "End up with tiny nubs, it's very embarrassing." she muttered turning a little red.

"Tsk, finally they made it to the top floor. Took'em long enough" Bakugo's impatient voice brought the girls' attention back to the TVs. Iida and Kirishima were perched carefully on stairs covered with purple balls eyeing a barricade of doors over the stairwell.

"Once they break through that Mineta's going to be easy pickings." Denki announced. "There was no way they'd be able to stall long enough for time to elapse."

"I don't know, they've been very particular about how they've been placing the balls on that floor." Momo frowned. "But it all looks so random, it's not even an effective barrier to stop the hero team from traversing."

"Angles!" Pony announced proudly, swallowing a little as all eyes turned her way.

"What angles?" Momo asked firmly, suddenly finding the right words much harder to find.

"Um.. well… Minoru-kun bounces and…" she cleared her throat and tried to start again, internally kicking herself, wishing Minoru was here to explain it or at least help her along..

"((Would it be easier to explain it in English?))" Juzo spoke up patiently, his rictus grin offset as ever by his kind gaze. "((I can translate))"

"((Thank you,))" Pony said with a sigh, relieved but a bit annoyed with herself for choking like that. "((I've seen Minoru try this once and it was pretty wild. Ya know how he can bounce of his hair balls? Well if he hits another one at the right angle he can keep most of the momentum and build up even more… add in a string of angled bounces and starts pin-balling all around.))" she explained rapidly in her natural tongue, the light southern drawl slipping in now that she wasn't consciously trying to repress it. Juzo following up shortly after getting the rest of the class up to speed on the upcoming encounter. As Kirashima finally got a good angle to shattered the makeshift barricade, his partner took the opportunity to rush through the hole and land safely on the other side.

On another TV Minoru was directing Satou who picked up the smaller boy and, after a moment of hesitation, threw him down on a trio of tightly packed balls. The smaller boy reflected of it toward the wall bouncing off it toward the next picking up speed as he did. In a moment the purple hero began to blur as he ricocheted around the corner closing in on the armored speedster. Soon he was bouncing circles around the boy who did his best to dodge the human bullet that ricocheted around him.

"Dang, just watching that makes me queasy." Tooru's voice spoke up from Pony's other side, this time coming from a floating nurse's outfit. It took Pony a moment to realize, it was Toga. It was still taking some getting used to, shape-shifting was hardly a common quirk after all. "But what's the end game?" Pony refocused on the battle pulling her firsts up to her chest as her friend continued to pressure Iida, knowing he likely couldn't keep it up too much longer. As she expected the purple blur seemed to disengage going back down the hallway and back around the corner he'd come from. Iida straightened up and with a burst of speed pursued him. Minoru hit a poor angle and ended up skidding against the ground rolling into the far wall, breathing hard, his forehead bleeding.

"And that it huh?" Fumikage crossed his arms. "Impressive though it was I'm not sure what he was hoping to accomplish." the bird headed boy shook his head. "He even injured himself."

"Not exactly." Pony said with a little smile. "Minoru-kun bleeds from his scalp if he uses quirk too much. Look at Iida-kun." she pointed to the screen as the speedster had slowed and was standing over the exhausted Minoru, casting quite the heroic look.

"Wait, did he have that many balls on him before?" As Mina vocalized it the rest of the class began to murmur. On screen Minoru seemed to be talking to the taller boy with a growing grin. With a whistle the door nearby pushed out from the doorway, Satou behind it charging forward right to Iida who started to turn but his legs got caught together and he was soon sandwiched onto the ground. The large Satou holding him in place long enough for Minoru's quirk to take effect. Satou stood leaving the door and the boy under it stick fast to the ground. Iida's mufflers fired red but he couldn't move, stuck at too awkward of a position to try and force himself up. Minoru stood and walked over to the trapped boy, wrapping a white strip of capture tape around his wrist, formally eliminating him.

Now two against one it was only a matter of time. Satou downed a small pouch of sugar, visibly bulking up as he turned the corner, prepared to engage Kirishima, who'd only just gotten past the barricade without getting stuck. Strength met hardness in a solid clash… but Satou didn't need to win by knockout. He was able to brush past the balls without them sticking while Kirishima couldn't make any headway without risking getting caught in a trap.

"Villain Team Wins!" All Might called an end to proceedings with the timer hitting zero. Pony smiled proudly as she watched her friend pat his partner on the back of the leg to get his attention before exchanging thumbs up.

"He managed to take full control of situation, impressive." Momo watched the scene thoughtfully.

"With Prep time," Juzo noted with a raised finger. "Had this been a direct confrontation it wouldn't have been so easy." Momo frowned slightly but otherwise kept composed.

"Well of course, but differing situation require differing tactics."

"True enough I suppose,"

"So YOU seemed pretty confident throughout." Toga spoke up to Pony's right, still in Tooru's voice. "You've trained a bunch with him though right?"

"Yup." Pony replied easily. "Couldn't meet up too often but we did train a few times."

"You've known each other long I take it?" the shape-shifter pressed, Pony shook her head.

"Only few months, we met at Entrance Exam."

"Oh... Is that so?"

"Yup!"

"You both seem so close though," Mina cut in suddenly, a knowing smile on her face. "He's so much less distant when you're around."

"Eh, Really?" the blond tilted her head curiously. "I mean we all just getting to know each other after all. Maybe he just needs to warm up to you." she offered with a shrug, it not like she could properly grasp such a thing if it only happened when she wasn't around.

"Hmmm," Mina's gaze was intense for a brief moment before the pressure released and she shrugged as well. "We'll just have to see." The American opened her mouth to comment on the odd reply but was interrupted by the return of the boys... despite winning the match Minoru and Satou were definitely worse for wear. The big man drowsy from his sugar crash while his diminutive partner was still bleeding a bit form under the mask. Pony smiled and trotted over to greet her friend, fresh off his victory.

 _~ Minoru's POV ~_

Minoru ignored the dull aching of his scalp, he needed to tough through it if he wanted his quirk to improve back up to the level he was used to. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but it would probably be safe to check in with Recovery girl after class either way. Better safe than sorry.

"Ugh, so tired…" Satou mumbled out a yawn as he lumbered down the hall. He rubbed his eyes. "I really need to get the measurements down… I'm not used to using sugar rush in combat yet."

Sugarman. Back in Minoru's time he had never ended up in the top 30 heroes, becoming a career sidekick bouncing between agencies. Despite that he was reliable and respected in the community, something of a family man as well if he recalled Tsu telling him... But Minoru had lost touch with the man shortly after graduation...

That was the past though.

"You'll figure it out, our training has only just started." Minoru offered a smile to the big man who chuckled in return

"Right, we've got a long way to go." Minoru turned his focus ahead toward the despondent opponents they had just beaten. He offered the pair a silent apology for making their first conflict so anticlimactic. But He wasn't the kind of hero who could fight toe to toe, he intended to play things his way whenever he could… at least it shouldn't cause any major changes for the future.

The four entered the bunker to the waves and greetings of their peers. Iida was consoled by Izuku and Toga, who was still invisible. Kirishima but on a brave face as he headed over to Denki, flinching a bit as Bakugo scoffed his way. Satou took a spot on the wall to rest and let his weariness pass. Minoru found himself greeted by the familiar Megawatt smile of his friend.

"Pony? Your already healed?"

"Yup, hurried back so not to miss any class." she said brightly, as ever the girl hardly looked phased from her session with recovery girl. American girls are just built tough it seemed. "You Okay?"

"I'll be fine, just a bit of overuse is all…" He waved off the concern, keeping the pain from his face. His eyes glanced up and he gained a small smirk. "Speaking of Quirk overuse…" he said gaining a bemused tone. Pony blinked before frowning and trying to cover her shortened horns. "Aw come on, it's cute…"

"Don't start." she warned him and he allowed himself a laugh as he too a seat by the wall.

"Fine fine." she sat down next to him as the class broke down the match as he had the others. He did his best not to chime in and just accept the criticism. He was surprised how positive Yaoyarozu was on his performance. The more action oriented students were less impressed but for Minoru a win is a win.

The trials continued on… Next Hero team F vs Villain Team G. As far as Minoru was concerned it was over before it began. Yaoyarozu used her five minute to turn that weapon room into a fortified safe room much like she'd down back in his own time. Denki despite his flirtatious manner knew when to get to work and followed her instructions adding the ability to electrify any potential entrance… Tsuyu and Koda had no way to get in and it went to time. Leave it to the number 1 student in class to dominate at Minoru's own game.

The final match was similarly lopsided with Team I as the Heroes and Team J as the villains. Mina and Tokiyami were formidable combatants for anyone to face had on… But Juzo never had to do that. As soon as the trail began, without even entering the building, he spread his quirk over the whole structure causing it to slowly melt away. Mina, who had yet to learn to harden under pressure flailed as she lost her footing, sink through the floor, Tokoyami Managed to get to the roof next door but before he could properly set up a counter the match was called… Ojiro had swam up into the mud-like structure to get to solid land, the one spot that had been left untouched… the section of floor with the weapon on it.

That was the power of the recommended students. Minoru still had plenty of ground to make up.

And as suddenly as it began the class ended, All Might promised that the next class would be breaking down the recorded matches in greater detail. Less than thrilling but expected. The students retired to the locker rooms to change back into their uniforms. Despite the general relaxed air of the class Minoru could feel the tension in the air. Bakugo was quiet, purposely ignoring the rest of the class as he dressed. Finishing long before the others he paused at the door glaring back at Izuku before letting out a frustrated scoff and leaving taking the tension with him.

"Man Midoriya that's some major beef brewing. What did you do to piss him off?" Kirashima asked only getting a long sigh in response.

"He never did get to challenge you did he? He'd seemed so eager once the teams had been pulled." Juzo mused, "In the end, Tsunotori kept him occupied the whole match."

"True," Minoru found himself saying allowed with a small frown. This was suppose to be a big turning point for Bakuago… hopefully that won't cause a problem later. "He'll just need to learn to be patient and deal with it. This is hero training, not a fight club." he finished his thought out loud getting more boisterous reaction from the other boys.

"Bold words from the short man." Kosei said with a grin. "I like it."

"Mineta-san is correct, class time is no place for squabbling." Iida said with a firm nod. From there it turned back to more breezy conversation, talking about the various matches, costumes and of course girls. Minoru once again tuned them out and finished getting dressed. He wanted to take stop at the nurses office anyway. He let muscle memory carry him to his destination so he could let his mind wander… He still carried some worry about Bakugo potentially doing something rash but he stifled it. Despite his rotten attitude, Kasuki Bakugo was a hero and a great one. It would take more than a few inconveniences to throw him of that path… if it was possible at all. For now he had a good week or so of basic classes before he had any major things to worry about… USJ was going to happen, but the circumstances of that even were so far out of his hands, it was best just to focus on things he could change...

* * *

With Heroics as the last proper class school ended for the day, saying his goodbye for the day and parting with Pony at the Train Station… Instead of going home he found himself walking instead. Nervous energy overcoming his fatigue from the day. The USJ incident… now that he started thinking about it he couldn't stop himself. It was the first action taken by the League of Villains, back when they were just a rabble of disorganized criminals. 1-A's first test in live combat. There were a million ways for it to go wrong… what if he wasn't with Izuku in the water zone with Tsu? Where would Pony end up? What about Toga… if she really is a villain there would be no greater chance to show her true colors. What if-

There was a crack of flesh on flesh. His cheek stung, as did his palm. The pain refocusing his mind and pulling him out of the pessimistic spiral he'd started into. Could he stop USJ from happening? No… he couldn't. All he could do would be to Prepare. To be ready for whatever happened… and if things kept to the set path from last time. All the better.

He stumbled as he felt himself collide with someone, a clatter of plastic and paper following. He brought his mind back to the present moment to find himself on his butt. Across from him was a short girl dressed in sweats and a sweater. Her long red hair drooping nearly to the ground and bangs hiding her expression. Between them several upturned bags of convenience store groceries.

"I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going." he stood immediately and offered her a hand. She looked to it and then to him allowing him to see her face for the first time. She was cute, despite the gloomy expression. Her eyes baring an odd iris with rings of purple among the pink that drew one's gaze in.

"Thank you…" she muttered softly as she took his hand. Now standing he could tell she was only slightly taller than himself. It was hard to place her age due to her height, her build hidden under the loose sweats and sweater.

"Let me help you with your groceries."

"...You don't have to." came the soft reply as she bent down to start collecting her things.

"I insist, I knocked it out of your hands." he knelt down and started to get the items back in the bag. Mostly instant meals and drinks, seemed she was really stocking up… a college student maybe? He could feel her gaze on him but when he looked up she turned her gaze back down. It didn't take long to get everything back in place. "Would you like help carrying it back?" he offered with One bag still in his arms. "It's the least I can do."

"..." he could feel her scrutinizing him for some reason before she looked away. "It's not far…"

"All the better then, Just lead the way." he said offering his best heroic smile, for all his PR problems in the past he had been able to keep decent public face for the first few years. She only offered a soft grunt in reply before she started walking. Minoru falling into step behind her. Not the most personable of sorts but she was clearly depressed, having suffered himself he could see the signs all too clear. He didn't force conversation, only offering a smile whenever she turned her gaze back to him…

"We're here." she announced softly as they came up to an apartment building. Minoru immediately knew the time. Small rooms, cheap, didn't ask questions… it was just the kind of place he would say back in his time. If she owned her own apartment she was definitely older than him, but not too much. College was likely the easiest guess. "I'll take it from here." she obviously didn't want him to know her apartment which was fair. He offered her back his bag and he once again felt her watching him cautiously. He didn't let it phase him as he offered her a short bow.

"Once again, sorry about bumping into you like that."

"It's fine."

"You have a good night, Miss." he offered her one last smile before he turned to leave.

"Aiba…" he glanced back but her expression was still hidden by her pink tresses. The light crinkle of her clinging tightly to her bags. "Aiba Minami…" her voice was soft but still carried well enough.

"Mineta Minoru." he returned. "You have a goodnight Aiba-san."

"Good night." and with that he turned to head his way home, the girl disappearing into the apartment building. It wasn't a long walk back to his own home from there. It had been a nice enough distraction from his future worries. People were still having day to day problems they had to deal with, he couldn't let himself get too wrapped up by his plight as a time traveler. For now best to just focus on what each day had in store for him… When USJ came, he'd just have to take the incident head on and protect his classmates as best he could.

~ ? POV ~

In a small apartment light only by the dark glow of a computer screen agile fingers danced expertly across the keyboard. No firewalls or barriers could impede the expert keystrokes from their mission. Bringing all information sought to their master… In this case it was a straightforward topic.

 _Mineta Minoru_

* * *

AN: So I did something a little different this time. I had never intended to switch POV from Mineta, but though it would frame the fight in a more consistent style to how the others were shown. I did enjoy writing Pony's perspective, maybe I should do a more direct fic with her... hm. we'll see. I'll probably refrain from doing that again in the future without a good reason for it. This is Mineta's story after all

As for the Inclusion of Minami (aka La Brava) at the end... I've been thinking in my down time about characters and potential interactions. I was wondering... what if Minami never got into following Gentle. She was a depressed Neet before he inspired her and caught her infatuation. So let's see where it goes from here...


	9. Road to USJ

**AN: Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the present! _(Now updated with some formatting fixes 12/27)_**

"You'll need to decide who is going to be Class president."

"An Unexpectedly normal activity!"

The class was abuzz with excitement, people loudly volunteering and arguing who would be best. Minoru smiled to himself, after focusing all his time on readjusting to classwork and student life he'd forgotten all about this. He was so used to the idea of Iida having been class rep he'd forgotten it had even been this divisive to start with. The Speedster in question did manage to get some quiet and purpose an orderly vote to decide who should take the role which succeeded in calming down the mob. Though before they could start Juzo chimed in that if they were going to vote they should probably restrict voting for yourself, since otherwise it would just be a free for all. Seemed like a reasonable enough request so in the end everyone complied. Paper was passed out and everyone started to jot down their choice... It's not like it really mattered, but he wrote down the Iida's name just for completion's sake before turning it in.

* * *

What the Hell was going on...

Minoru found himself standing at the front of the class alongside Yaoyarozu, the class as a whole seemingly okay with the choices presented. He found himself glancing up at the chalk board despite himself.

 _Mineta Minoru - 8_  
 _Yaoyarozu Momo - 5_  
 _Honenuki Juzo - 3_  
 _Midoriya Izuku - 3_  
 _Iida Tenya - 1_

Eight! How had he gotten eight votes? Iida was suppose to be class rep wasn't he? With tremendous effort he managed to keep the panic off of his face. It seemed the universe had twisted on him again and he'd just need to roll with it.

"Wow, I really wasn't expecting this." he chuckled a little due to the nerves he was trying to repress. "I'll make sure not to let you down then." Taking a bow and letting out a soft sigh. He glanced to Yayarozu who offered him a smile that made his heart jump.

"I look forward to working with you Mineta-san." with the second highest votes at six Yaoyarozu had ended up with the Vice President role as she had back in his time. As Class President this would give him all the time in the world to interact with his beautiful classmate... The fact that his own eye level was even with the hem of the tall girl's skirt did NOT help with being so close. Alarms were ringing in his head so loudly he could barely keep his composure. He'd have to be stronger than ever to resist...

"Likewise Yaoyarozu-san." he replied politely. The two returned to their seats and he allowed himself a soft sigh. In the end it probably wasn't that bad a turn of events, the extra responsibilities would make retaking his classes less dull at the very least. It was just another familiar standby he was losing, making it harder and harder to be sure of what to expect. Hopefully this would be a change for the better. He put the issue aside for now, Aizawa was passing the class over to Ectoplasm. Nothing like a little mathematics to clear the mind.

With the lunch bell's ring the students filled into the hallway. As many rushed, hoping to get to the delicious lunches Lunch Rush provided Minoru took his time. He scanned at crowd as he walked, curious to spot any of the remaining familiar faces he d yet to find.

"Hello Class Rep-san!" Pony chimed in brightly as she trotted into step with him before slowing down. He shook his head and smiled a little bit.

"We're long past formalities Pony," he shot back getting a giggle from the girl. "I still don t get why I got that many votes, I hardly did much more than anyone else in class thus far."

"You really don t Understand?" she asked incredulously, cocking her head to the side. "Minoru is Very smart, reliable and trustworthy." she ticked off on her fingers. "And humble or just dense. Hard to say which." she tease sticking out her tongue at the shorter boy.

Reliable? Trustworthy? Him? That was the greatest joke of all. He was fighting with himself everyday to not fall back into his old habits. If she knew what he was really like deep inside she wouldn't compliment so casually it had been getting somewhat easier, Pony herself hardly registered in his mind in a pervy way anymore, Her warmth and support placing her in his mind as someone off limits for such thoughts it was a step in the right direction, but that concept shouldn't be an exception in his mind for one person. It should be the rule.

"Minoru?"

"Huh?" he looked up to see her offering him a concerned look. Perhaps a little bit of his bitterness made it to his expression this time. He d have to keep that in check...

"You Okay?"

"I'm fine." he offered a smile, "I'm more hungry than anything, lets go pick up our lunches." he turned the topic away but it was clear she wasn't buying it. Despite that she allowed him to drop it and offered him a nod. This would probably be brought up later but at least for now they moved on.

Trays in hand they made their way to their usual table. Iida was chatting with Izuku. Satou and Tsuyu chiming in as appropriate. For once Toga wasn't around, which was a blessing in it's own right. The Big man waved them over and he took his usual seat next to him Minoru chuckled as he received a round of congratulations on his new position. His personal self-loathing set aside, all the praise making him a little red in the face.

"I don t know if I m the best one for the job but I'll do my best." he scratched the back of his head. "I actually voted for Iida."

"What? That was you?" The blue haired boy looked shocked, for whatever reason Minoru had been the only one to vote for the boy.

"Well you, your a hard worker, no-nonsense type. That's what I think of when I think of a class rep. Seemed obvious to me." he chuckled before looking to the boy in question who looked genuinely touched.

"Mineta-san..."

"Anyway, where'd your shadow go Midoriya?" The purple haired boy turned the conversation again before awkwardness could set in. Izuku blinked confused at what her meant.

"I think he's asking about Toga-chan." Tsuyu correctly deduced causing the other boy to blush.

"O-Oh, she just had to use the restroom. She should be back soon."

"I don't doubt it." Pony shot him a warning look so he stopped there, but Tsuyu picked it up where he left off.

"You two are quite close." she noted, placing her finger on her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Are you dating?" she queried without a flicker of emotion on her face. He could always count on Tsu to speak her mind. Izuku turned bright red and started flailing his arms.

"I-It's nothing like that. W-we're just friends!" he squeaked before looking down. "She just looks out for me since I'm always hurting myself." he added in a softer tone. Silence followed for a few long moments as the other five at the table exchanged glances coming to the same conclusion.

Midoriya Izuku had no idea how deep he was already in.

Minoru repressed a frown, if it was ANYONE else but Toga he'd be pushing the boy forward right now. He hated seeing his old friend like this but he couldn't bridge that gap. No until he was sure. Satou was never one to step into another person's personal life without being approached for advice. Tsu, as blunt as she could be, had her boundaries that shouldn't be pressed.

"That's just silly," Pony said with a bright smile. "It obvious that she likes you." she added cheerfully, the American having no problem speaking up. Minoru's heart sank into his shoes.

"No way!" Izuku started before gaining a hopeful look. "...You really think so?"

"Oh definitely." she replied with certainty, offering the boy a thumbs up.

"I..." Izuku seemed to shut down, unable to rationalize the concept. It was hard to remember sometimes that Izuku had such fragile self confidence back in this time, so used to the always together number one hero but why did it have to be Toga?

 **Warning! Level 3 Security Breach!**

Minoru Immediately tensed up, a security breach? Had the league given up all pretense of subtlety and attacked the school directly? With the differences piling up he couldn't dismiss the possibility.

"A drill?" Sato wondered aloud as many of the upper class had already stood and started to make their way to the door.

"That's a security alarm," A second year spoke up as he passed. "A level 3 hasn't happened in years. They'd never drill for a Level 3. We need to get out of here and to athletic fields."

Lunches forgotten the first years got to their feet and followed the crowd, Unfortunately noticing the clogged, panicked mess at the door way when it was too late to stop. The short teen was quickly separated from his friends lost in a sea of legs. He was getting jostled around even more than others he tried to work his way toward the wall or the window, so he could climb out off this mosh pit. He lost his footing, and fear rose in his chest. If he were to fall and get trampled he could be in serious trouble. He made a desperate grab for something to steady him and caught a leg. The feeling of warmth and smooth skin along his fingertips caused him to tense up. He turned to his hand without thinking seeing the bare leg of a girl.

"Shit" her cursed under his breath and tried to turn away but everywhere he looked were bare legs and skits fluttering just above his eye level. He'd ended up in a pocket of girls in the mob. He had to get out of here. As he went to move he felt himself pushed from behind, a knee collided with the back of his head as the crowd pushed forward to the door. His hand slipped upward to try and keep his balance.

"Eee!" the girl's squeal pierced the din of the crowd causing him to look up, he was her under skirt, his own hand gripped firm on her silky behind. He could feel the girl's warmth, the pleasant feel of the silk... He squeezed. "C-Cut it out you Jerk." The girl turned her body, and he lost his grip. A hand swung over his hand and slapped the boy behind him. The spell broke, in a panic he pushed his way through any gap in the sea of legs he could find, leaving the sparked argument behind him getting lost in the shouts and panic.

What the hell had he been thinking? He was supposed to be better than this. He looked down to his hand, fingers twitching. He could still feel the phantom of feeling on his finger tips... it had been so long. It had felt good. He slowly clenched his hand into a fist and bit his lip, allowing himself to flow with the push and pull of the panicked crowd. He was so weak...

"It's just the press, there's no reason to panic! Everyone calm down!" He barely heard Iida's voice trying to plead to the crowd of panicked students. No one was listening, he was just another voice in the crowd. Putting his self loathing aside he pushed through the crowd toward the window, down below was a large crowd of reporters trying to force their way through the front door. Plucking balls from his hair he waited a moment for the shoving to slow and climbed up the sheer surface until he was above the crowd. he could see Denki and Kirishima getting swept away, a pair of long horns with a splash of blond bouncing away somewhere in the middle of the crowd... Idia desperately shouting further toward the back. Someone was going to get hurt if this kept up. He steadied his position on the window and took a deep breath.

A sharp whistle broke through the shouting creating a momentary pause as everyone turned to the source.

"Hey, Listen up!" Minoru shouted firmly. "The School is not under attack, the alarm was triggered by the press!" He was not physically impressive, his voice was was equally uninspiring. But his presence gave off the same calm professionalism of a Pro trying to disperse a crowd. "So everyone calm down, and make your way outside a peaceful and orderly fashion. There is nothing to fear." with some reluctance the crowd of students complied. The clog at the doorway finally broke down, and once there was room he made his way back down to the ground, a few familiar faces make there way through the remains of the crowd over to him.

"Mineta, I'm glad your okay." Tsu Croaked lightly followed by a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, When we lost sight of you in the crowd I was worried you might of gotten trampled." Satou

"Fortunately that was was bit more room down there."

"Yeah class rep!" Denki cheered, Kirashima was a step behind pumping his fist.

"You stopped that riot like it was nothing! So manly, putting your neck out that like that!"

"If you say so." he chuckled a little bit unused to the praise from Kirashima of all people. "Thankfully no one got hurt too bad. It's a good thing I was able to hear Iida call out about the press, otherwise I'd have still been just as lost about it all." He turned to the blue haired boy , who lit up at the acknowledgement.

"Thank you Mineta-kun for making them see reason, Unfortunately I had no way to break out of the crowd without hurting someone myself." He reached up and patted the boy on the back before offering him a thumbs up.

It seemed the rest of their class had been swept away to the athletic fields, something confirmed when they made it outside. It was only on seeing Pony and Izuku okay that he truly was able to relax about the whole event. After the press had been disbursed afternoon classes continued as normal, though Minoru's mind was elsewhere. The Phantom-like tingle in his fingertips, coupled with a resurgence of desire he had been successfully repressing up until that point. By the time Midnight's class ended off the day he could barely contain himself anymore. He rushed out of class with barely a word to anyone else drawing concern from several classmates and Midnight. He d have to figure out some kind of explanation for later but right now he just needed someway to get rid of pent up feelings. He barely saw the crowds on his way home, the apartment thankfully empty. He rushed to the bathroom and immediately started a shower, barely able to contain himself any longer

Nearly an hour later he left the bathroom, with a defeated expression. No amount of washing to remove the feeling of shame sitting heavily on his chest. He caught a glance of himself in on his closet mirror and immediately opened the door so it would go away. Changing into a fresh pair of clothes he bit his lip in frustration. He'd lost it, after months of struggling to repress it all... he'd given in and it had felt so good.

He walked over to his bed and laid back staring up to the ceiling. There had to be something he could do... in the past he'd tackled this issue in his later years, long after the damage had been done. Regular visits and psych checks to get his urges under control... those lessons had gotten him this far but his overactive hormones were much harder to keep control of. Without some kind of release he'd need to do more... after all he wasn't going to be picking up a girlfriend anytime soon. Reformed or not he was still far from a catch.

"But what can I do?" he asked the ceiling, but receiving no answer. His phone buzzed breaking him from his stupor, he lazily reached for the device and unlocked it. It was a message from Pony, asking if he was okay. A small smile crept on to his face and he typed up a reply... He didn't see Pony that way, if only he could do that for the other girls and this wouldn't be a problem. His thumb paused on the screen as a crazy thought occurred to him. What if he did that? Maybe if he got to know the other girls better he could stop seeing them as objects to be ogled and see them as friends...

* * *

Thus Began Operation Friendzone...

Having a plan, however tentative, helped ease his mind. Minoru Jumped into his new duties as Class Rep with renewed vigor, grateful for any distraction to keep his mind focused. It wasn't nearly as intense as Iida made it out to be, but it definitely was a lot of work. His classmates were fairly chill for the most part so he hardly had to step up and confront anyone... save for Bakugo. The Blond boy was smart and driven as befitting of a future pro. But he could really be an asshole. He would get better with time, but at this early point in their school careers he had little respect for anyone... It had taken a week and a half of back and forth for him to stop trying to intimidate him when confronted. It wasn't respect yet but he was at least making progress...

On the topic of progress he had started to get to know Mina better, taking the opportunity to help her with some studying when he overheard her sighs after a test. She was a safe start as the pink girl had made clear on several occasions what kind of guy she liked, and needless to say it wasn't Minoru.

If there was one word that could define the future pro it was 'energy', though fun was also a viable choice. It took a lot of effort to reign that in and get her to focus on her studies. The frustration and immaturity doing wonders to distract from her (very nice) curves... Despite that he left each tutoring session with a smile, despite not being book smart she was quick witted and would often have a comeback for any sarcastic shot he'd take... the verbal sparring could get quite fun as long as it didn't divert the studying too much. She seemed to be making some headway on her problems subjects but it would be the be midterms that showed if there was any progress made.

In retrospect it probably would have been easier for him to start with Yaoyarozu... but he was still keeping his distance, as much as their positions would allow. Guilt weighed heavily whenever he interacted with the Creation hero On top of needing to ignoring her obvious beauty there were many regrets from the past the many times he abused her trust, the many undeserved chances and olive branches she had offered over the years only for him to mess it up. Every single one He d promised himself he d leave her be this time around and he stuck to it. His interactions with her were always respectful and professional, nothing more nothing less it was the least he could do.

That being said, the day to day of school life could only go on for so long before destiny reared its head

* * *

Rescue training at the USJ. It wasn't until filing everyone into the bus and taking his seat that his stomach began to twist. They were going to be attacked by the league of villains. It was their first real challenge, it had gone remarkably well all things considered the first time around but what if it went differently this time? There were so many ways it could have gone. Is not having Sero, Jiro, or Todoroki around going to be the lynchpin? All he could do is just try to stick to the script and hope it all falls the same way. His clenched his tiny fists in his lap and looked across the way. Izuku was clumsily deflecting Tsuyu's innocent but direct assertion that his power was like All Might's. He really was bad at hiding it... it's so obvious in retrospect. He relaxed and let out a soft chuckle, feeling the tension ease somewhat.

"What are YOU laughing at shortstack? You want some too?!" Bakugo growled half leaning over the chair in front of him. Apparently the topic had shifted while he was zoned out. He waved off the blond teen shaking his head.

"Sorry, I just had a funny thought was all don't mind me." he replied unworried, defusing some of the boy's anger. Aizawa settled the rest of the down for the rest of the trip which spent chatting softly with Pony doing his best to ignore Toga leaning into the blushing Izuku. Their interactions had gotten even more awkward with Izuku now coming to realize Toga's intentions thanks to Tsu and Pony. Some things never got easier to deal with... The gigantic dome of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint came into view long before they got close enough to park. Class 1-A filed out of the bus and into the building proper revealing the many varied biome and situations set up for training... it was an impressive sight, just as impressive as the first time he'd seen. But Minoru's eyes continued to be drawn to the fountain at the center courtyard. Even as Thirteen gave her speech he couldn't break his attention any minute now. Right there they would-

It started as a pinpoint of darkness before it expanded to a full portal, two glowing eyes appearing on top as Kurogiri made the full connection. The villains starting to enter the facility on mass. Minoru reflexively entered a stance one hand poised up to grab a ball if need be. He was better then he had been back then but still far from the level he was used to this would be his first true attempt at live combat. He hoped he was up to the task.

The last two figures through the portal were the most worrying. One spindly, sickly looking young man with white hair, his face adorned with a severed hand. Tomura Shigaraki, future leader of the Paranormal liberation front. Arch-villain to Izuku... currently a no name thug with a cobbled together organization. If he were caught today... that could only be a good thing couldn't it? All worrying of Timelines fell at the rare opportunity... he'd be close enough... if he used enough balls it might- All thoughts left him as the Nomu stepped through the gate, it's wall eyes and exposed brain almost comical if not for the massive muscled body and inhuman beak with jagged teeth. The first of many but still dangerous... that one had managed to injure All Might. His ball would be no use against that monster... Izuku could effortless break from his balls at half his power after all. That reality check brought him back and he focused on what he could control, glancing back to his class as Aizawa prepared to engage with the Villains. Expressions ranged from fear, surprise and disbelief... The uncertainty hanging heavy in the air... Words blurred as his present mixed with his past. Aizawa jumping down to engage with the villains, Thirteen leading them to the door... Kurogiri cutting them off and looming threateningly in front. Wait, if he was stopped no one would get separated and then it would all go a lot smoo-

"Die!" Bakugo roared as he and Kirishima lept forward to engage the portal maker, to little effect.

"Get back here you idiots!" Minoru shouted in a swell of anger. He'd forgotten why they'd been separated, to think it was their impulsive action that had set off all the trouble. Those reckless morons! The blond turned a glare back to shorter boy but it didn't matter. As Kurogiri's darkness extended out over everyone her closed his eyes and prepared for the drop into the water. This was fine, he might still be able to make this wor-

 _Thud_

He felt the wind knocked out of him as he fell a short distance onto something solid...

"Shit, Did I hit the boat?" he cursed. He was wet but he was on solid ground. He opened his eyes to see a pounding rain storm. Buildings towered over him, reaching up into the storming darkness above. The Typhoon zone... His clenched his fists tightly, his body shaking... Again, it had changed. He didn't know what was going to happen now. Hopelessness swirled in his stomach before he felt it burned away by a rush of indignation and anger. "Damn it!" he growled slamming his gloved hand into the pavement. Tears of frustration mixed with the pounding rain. Just a little familiarity was all he was asking. Why couldn't he have this much? If someone got hurt...

"Oh ho, little hero sounds angry." a man's voice came from behind his lying position.

"Maybe he needs a timeout?" another weaselly voice replied.

Villains... It seemed he didn't have time to rage. He'd have to do his best to survive and just trust his classmates. In a snap the angry teen was replaced with a seasoned pro. Bringing his hands up he discreetly plucked two balls from his head. On hearing the grunt of effort and immediately rolled forward, a metal pipe connecting with the pavement where his head had been moments before. Rolling up onto his hands he took in the two thugs while balanced upside down. The pipe wielding thug was has a stocky build and odd musculature but didn't seem to have anything else of note. Behind him was a lanky man with arms that nearly scraped the group, his eyes colored with surprise as Minoru's nimble dodge. He quickly gauged the distance and adjusted his angle slightly before before bending his arms and launching up, boosted by the balls he placed under him. He shot over the first thug catching the other one square in the jaw with both feet. As he toppled backward her sprung off that man to the other who was turning. rearing his fist back he brought a punch down right on the man's nose, with cracked slightly getting him to drop his weapon and grab his face. Minoru only has a small window to act so he removed several balls and stuck them to the stunned man before dropping to the ground. The thug let out an angry growl as the small boy slipped through his legs but before he could properly turn he felt his knees buckle, Minoru applying just the right amount of pressure to topple the man who was stuck fast to the asphalt. All the while Minoru's expression was of calm focus...

He was lighter and weaker than his opponents, he nearly always was, So he had developed a fighting style that worked around that. He spent years studying the natural weaknesses of the human form, creating a style made up entirely of elegant pressure points and brutal cheap shots. All to give openings to stick his opponents to his environments. It wasn't perfect in a quirk filled world but it had served him well as a pro and a vigilante. Knowing the stocky thug wasn't going anywhere he turned his attention to the lanky one who had shaken off his surprise kick and was getting ready to attack... an opponent with this kind of insane reach were some of the hardest for the small boy to deal with but he merely grabbed a couple of balls and readied himself for a hard fight. Though much to his surprise the angry face of the man slowly relaxed and with no ceremony toppled forward to the wet asphalt, an empty syringe sticking out of the back of his neck.

"You Okay Class Rep?" Toga asked cheerfully, "Hope you don't mind me butting in." Her tone was sincere but seeing the blond slasher standing in the pouring rain brought a chill down his spine. He did his best to swallow his fear and straightened up.

"No, that was good timing, this guy would have been a real pain to fight." Thanking Toga felt like pouring ash into his mouth but he could offer her that much at least. He stuck the sleeping thugs long arms to the ground and prepared to move. "Best split up and try to find a way out of here so we can meet up with the others." he lied as he started toward the exit to the zone.

"Um, no offense but this place is crawling with thugs. It would really be better to stick toget-"

"No." he said firmly, gloves creaking as he clenched his fists. Maybe it was the stress of it all but he couldn't keep the facade up today. He needed to get away from Toga and find his friends.

"But Why?" It was clear in her tone that she was frustrated. "Honestly, it's been like this from the very beginning. Everything you do is always more forced around me than any of the others. What have I ever done to you?!"

"I... Look. it's-" He growled in frustration before turning to face his walking nightmare. A drenched blond who looked somewhere between angry and hurt. His own anger faltered and he turned away again. "It's complicated, I just need to be alone." it was half-assed and vague but it was all he could muster. confusion and frustration warred on her features before a realization seemed to hit. She looked up, shoulders shaking slightly and she laughed to herself.

"Of course... why hadn't I seen it sooner?" she said to no one in particular, her head cocked slightly to the side while her gaze remained upward. "It makes so much more sense." she slowly turned her gaze back down to the boy, eyes intense and wild, freezing his legs in place.

"Toga-san I-" in a span of a blink she was now crouched down in front of him, her wide eyes threatening to swallow him whole.

"You remember the other world too. Don't-cha Mineta-kun?"

* * *

 **AN:** Yes. I am going to end the chapter there and yes it may be a bit before the next chapter is available. Yes, I am monster.

All joking aside I had originally intended to stick to my plan to wait until after the holidays to update but I had received a few reviews that were questioning when this would update and well, it was almost ready. So I knocked down to get it at least readable by Christmas Day. Probably needs a little bit more editing but I think it will be a solid enough update for people to enjoy...

As for the content yes, I had wanted to show Mineta's struggles a bit more, rather then him always managing to be strong... it was originally going to lead into a much more serious angle, him seeking counseling or meeting with teachers about his struggle and having Midnight come to grips with needing to mindful of that... that was Until I came up with Operation Friendzone. He's aiming to be the reverse harem protagonist and get none of the girls interested in him so he can be strong enough not to fall for them in return... the Madlad. How well it will work will obviously depends how things progress.

and yes, Toga is also from a previous world like Mineta. A few of you were theorizing it( _Kisame Hoshigaki, Emrys Akayuki & fencer29_)and I didn't really set any heavy handed hints to it or anything but as the story progressed the more I started to like the idea, that there were more players out there making changes then just Mineta... as for her motives those will just have to wait until next chapter :)

Though it will likely be a while before the next update hopefully you can enjoy this for now...


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